The IchiRuki Bet
by DancingBuffy
Summary: AU Rukia's friends offer her up to Ichigo in a bet. But what was Ichigo's real motive for making the bet in the first place? And what will happen once she finds out?
1. Chapter 1

I definitely do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

Chapter One – added 5/13/09

"Oi, Rukia!" Shuuhei panted while running to her table, followed by Renji. "Why are you hiding up here? We've been looking for you all morning."

"Be quiet! I'm not hiding. How can you be my friends and not find me in the library?!" Rukia hissed with one eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Do you even know me?"

Kuchiki Rukia sat at her usual study table on the top floor in the library. No one was ever at this table – or section of the library for that matter. The books on the top floor use a card catalog with actual, tangible cards and never left the library. It was usually just Rukia and the books.

"Psh, no one is even up here to hear us," Shuuhei muttered.

"You can get information from the Internet nowadays, you know," Renji added nonchalantly.

"Huh? Ah, but maybe we shouldn't be mock –"

"So, you were looking for me _all morning_ just to mock me?" Rukia interrupted Shuuhei's criticism of Renji with a glare.

For Rukia, one of the perks of going to an elite private academy was definitely the amazing library. It was nothing but floor to ceiling shelves with dark, antique, wood furniture – what a library should look like. She spent a lot of time in the local library when she had lived with Hisana. Sometimes Hisana would even drop her off for an entire day to read while she went to work when no one else could watch Rukia. The earthy smell of books usually put Rukia instantly at ease, letting her forget everything but what she read or studied.

"Well, we've been looking since our morning workout anyways. And we were more making a point. I mean, why would we look for you here? _No one _comes up here ... let alone this early in the morning. Classes haven't even started ... and it's _Monday_," Renji said.

Nearly all of the students came from noble or wealthy families. Most paid their way in and managed at least average grades, less got scholarships, and even fewer had both the brains to have gotten a scholarship and the money to pay their way in. Scholarships could be for either academics or for sports. Rukia felt lucky that she could count herself among the last group with regards to academics.

She almost had the reputation for academic excellence her older brother, Kuchiki Byakuya, had set when he attended. She planned to make Hisana proud by being a perfect Kuchiki and using her lack of social life to study as much as possible. She would use this last term to move from second to first in her class. There was one person in her way. She wasn't sure who, since they never posted names with the class rankings, only student numbers.

"I'm motivated. Now, out with it!" Rukia demanded, glaring, in a quiet, yet firm, voice.

"Ah... where to start...," Shuuhei began quietly, obviously delaying.

"Why were you looking for me?"

In fact, she had been trying to study for a quiz, but instead found herself annoyed and watching Abarai Renji and Hisagi Shuuhei fidget uncomfortably across from her. They were all three graduating this year. Rukia had been friends with Renji since junior high and met Shuuhei through Renji her first year here.

Renji and Shuuhei first met at a sports practice, as they both had sports scholarships and started attending practices before first year classes even started. Renji and Shuuhei became inseparable best friends when they switched rooms to live together as first years and discovered their mutual love for crazy tattoos and fighting. They both played several sports and had plenty of friends.

Unfortunately for Rukia, they were her only two friends – literally. Rukia was closed off and had a hard time opening up to anyone. She had unintentionally perfected being invisible, because being alone was easier. Kuchiki family functions were facilitated by etiquette rules – being well-mannered and making proper conversation –, but at school it was horrible. Having Renji and Shuuhei made it tolerable.

All Rukia really had was studying. Non-Renji or non-Shuuhei guys treat her as if she doesn't exist; she'd never been asked on a date. Girls ignore her for the most part, thinking she was stuck up. Although some girls seemed nice, Rukia kept her mouth shut to preserve her dignity as a Kuchiki and avoid starting an ongoing row. She sadly accepted her lack of friends and aimed to make sure she didn't have any enemies either.

Rukia couldn't believe how vicious girls could be. Rukia was certain that even the girls that were nice to her would find her annoying if she started to open up to any of them. At least being a social outcast did wonders for her marks. Rukia liked to think that she didn't have time for friends because of all her studying, rather than that she studied to fill her lack of social life.

She heard that her brother had been popular, respected, smart, and ... well ... the perfect Kuchiki student from professors. Unfortunately, just being a Kuchiki didn't help her one bit socially when most of the students were noble and/or rich anyway. Being a Kuchiki, she couldn't have realistically gone to any other than this school, the top school. At least she definitely had a handle on the smart part of being a Kuchiki. Or at least she would if she could ever get back to studying. Rukia sighed and rolled her eyes impatiently.

"Rukia ... now don't get mad. I don't really know how to say this or even explain it so it doesn't sounds worse than it really is ... heh heh ...," Renji started.

"I have an organic chemistry quiz first period that I _need _to be studying for. Hurry up and spit it out!" Rukia fumed and crossed her arms. "You know how hard Professor Nemu makes even her quizzes. In fact, both of you should be off studying, instead of bugging me."

"Okay, okay, well, you see ..., " Shuuhei looked away, scratching his head. "Renji and I were wiping the floor with all the other guys in the school dojo last night. And we had just casually whispered to Ikkaku that either one of us alone could take him and any other guy at the same time. That's when Renji says that we'd bet anything on our victory. I mean, you know how good we are, right?"

"Then Kurosaki comes up and says that Ikkaku can step aside, because he'd like to take us up on the wager, except have it be just him against both of us. And you know that we're the best and Kurosaki has always been just average when sparing in class, so who knew he'd be so... well... good, right? And he told us he'd bet enough money to pay off our student loans. I could really use that," Renji said before Shuuhei picked up where he left off.

"Well, somehow we ended up saying we were so confident we'd win that we'd even bet you, Rukia, for a week as his slave and that the loser ... umm losers actually ... heh heh ... also have to transfer schools. We didn't really have anything else to bet. Umm... I kind of don't even know how we even thought to bet you in the first place, actually."

"Anyway, it just kind of ... happened ... heh heh," Renji jumped in to finish pathetically, scratching his head and sporting a big, fake, nervous, don't-kill-me smile.

"What the hell? You know very well why you bet me. Were you just trying to embarrass me and the Kuchiki name? My brother will kill you when he finds out," Rukia fumed in a scary monotone.

Renji and Hisagi cringed, seeing Rukia's eyes darken in warning and a tick start to develop over her right eye. As much as they already still ached from the beating Ichigo gave them, they knew they would hurt far worse for far longer if Rukia ever got a hold of them. They wouldn't be able to bring themselves to fight back. It would be a different kind of pain.

"Actually, Kurosaki or maybe his friend with the glasses kind of suggested it," Shuuhei timidly ventured.

Ichigo had just wanted to win; she wanted to make them suffer. Neither of them felt right fighting back against a petite girl, even one as scary as Rukia was right now. Her knuckles started turning white, as she grabbed the polished wood edge of the table in front of her. Rukia shuddered while realizing this could mean Ichigo had some evil plan that involved her.

"Please, please, please, Rukia! We are both on meager sports scholarships. We don't have anywhere else to go. You know we'd never get in anywhere else at this point without bottomless pockets! It's the last term before graduation! You have to help us out!" Renji pleaded, as Rukia closed her eyes and took deep, supposedly calming breaths. "We know you've never gotten along with him, but I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"Won't be that bad. Won't be that bad!?" Rukia stopped and smiled evilly before continuing, "Wait ... don't the two of you have to leave school, because you lost anyways? Maybe I don't even need to help you out, hmm? I just need to get your new addresses at wherever you can get in with barely more than a month left of final term."

"Umm ... well ... that's the other weird thing. Kurosaki didn't even wait for us to get back on our feet before he told us that we didn't have to leave school if we could up the time he got you as his slave from one week to... uh, well, uh... one month starting today," said Renji, pointedly not making eye contact.

"One month! One month! Okay. Okay. Okay. I guess I have to help you out, but I am going to kick your sorry asses for offering me up like a piece of property to that pompous, womanizing, orange-haired jerk! And you can bet I'm going to tell my brother about this the next time he sends for me to come home for the weekend!" Rukia shouted with escalating ire. "Kiss the internship you're doing with my brother this summer good-bye, Renji!"

"But I need that internship!" Renji pleaded. "I need to..."

"Maybe you should have been thinking about that while you were selling me into slavery!"

She slowly sank further into her chair, abandoning her relentless, perfect Kuchiki posture. The anger wasn't enough to keep the despair and helpless submission at bay. Rukia would have started bawling at how her day and everyday for the next month couldn't possibly get any worse. She felt so alone and so .... disposable. No matter how hard she worked, her life was never going to be her own.

There was even money involved in the bet! The two friends that usually defended her practically just sold her to Ichigo. She might have fought back if she didn't already feel defeated from thinking about how her only friends could do this to her in the first place. She was furious with her friends and wouldn't let them see her cry. Taking out her anger on them would have to wait until she could pull herself together and focus solely on her anger.

"Take some deep breaths. Rukia, I really don't think he's a cruel guy or anything. Kurosaki probably just didn't really want to try to get us kicked out. I _don't _think this is going to be as bad as you think. I... we would never have agreed to this if we thought he was going to torture you like some kind of a pet," Shuuhei offered.

Rukia's biggest annoyance at the school was Kurosaki Ichigo. She couldn't even remember how it started. They had been at the same school and in the same classes since junior high school, when she had first been sent to the best school available to her as a Kuchiki. It seemed like there wasn't a time when they ever got along. Whenever they were around each other shouting, fighting, and sometimes bruises would inevitably ensue.

"But we've never... gotten along," Rukia said with as much apathy as she could, trying to wall up her emotions as her thoughts drifted back to Ichigo.

For some reason she had no problem standing up to Ichigo when she couldn't with anyone else. But at least before high school they had gotten good at avoiding the other completely, or at least she had. He always noticed her, no matter how invisible she was to everyone else. Ichigo always seemed to be able to run into her, almost as if on purpose. It happened so frequently that Rukia didn't know if it was more annoying when he did or didn't acknowledge her presence anymore.

"And do you think that he would ruin his reputation by outright torturing you for a month? You're a Kuchiki; your brother could crush a no-name like him, no matter how rich his family is. I bet it will be a month of snappy retorts. If anything gets abuse it will be Kurosaki's shins," Shuuhei said with a smile, earning an upward twitch at the corner of Rukia's mouth.

"What are you talking about? After doing something like this in the first place, Kurosaki's too evil not to...," Renji started in disbelief and confusion.

"Shut it, Renji," Shuuhei bit out, accompanied by a swift elbow to Renji's ribs.

Kuchiki Byakuya, Rukia's brother, somehow managed to be well liked, respected, and even a little feared while he was a student and was now the same in the upper echelon of the corporate world. Ichigo had managed to follow in her brother's footsteps of popularity and respect at school where she couldn't; maybe it was because neither of them ever smiled. Rukia wasn't shallow enough to hate him just because of that. She hated the whole package, especially, his miserably argumentative personality.

"That was convincing," Rukia rolled her eyes.

"I'm just trying to help," said Shuuhei, while Renji rubbed his sore ribs and glared at his friend.

"You're doing a lame job."

"Rukia, I'm not trying to manipulate you into thinking this will be fun. I'm just trying to say that maybe it won't be as bad as you think."

Rukia knew that no one but _maybe_ Renji and Hisagi would side with her in any fight she and Ichigo might have. Now she might not be able to count on them to defend her anymore. They had too much at stake. She would be at Ichigo's mercy.

"I'm not just going to acquiesce, no matter what you say, Hisagi. You're making it sound like we're just going to be hanging out and teasing each other for a month," Rukia scoffed. "Even endless shin-kicking won't get me to enjoy spending a month with _him_. It will be utter humiliation."

Most of the girls in the school twittered about who would get the privilege of being Ichigo's date on any given weekend with many of them claiming to have lost their virginity to him on these coveted dates... ewwww. The way everyone else seemed to fall over themselves for him made Rukia nauseous. Now she would have to spend a month in utter hell just from seeing the flock of vapid sycophants.

"Well, I never meant that you would enjoy it, just that it might not be as horrible as you think."

"But it will," grumbled Rukia, sadly.

"I'm really sorry, Rukia," Shuuhei muttered sincerely, while startling Renji into fervent nods with another sharp elbow jab to the exact same spot. "We honestly didn't think this even had a chance of happening; right, Renji?"

His comment didn't have the desired effect on Rukia. Thinking about it made Rukia go from depressed back to angry. Just as Rukia had gotten one knee up to leap across the table and make Renji and Shuuhei unable to walk without horrible pain for the next month (all three of them would suffer together), the clock chimed to signal the approaching class. Fortunately for her two friends, classes always took precedent for Rukia.

The tolls managed to distract Rukia long enough for them to get to the stairs and far enough away that she might get kicked out of the library if she pursued them for the beating they deserved. Getting kicked out of the library would take away her one haven, especially now that she was going to need it. Packing her school bag, Rukia trudged down the stairs.

The only place she had somehow never managed to bump into Ichigo was in the library. Rukia was going to have to spend a lot of time in the library just to tolerate the next month. She refused to give up her refuge and her sanity. She could make Renji and Hisagi suffer later with an expertly planned sneak attack. She hurriedly gathered her books and trudged down the stairs in a fuming sulk.

Just as she thought her day couldn't get any worse, she saw that Ichigo was waiting for her just outside the library with his trademark scowl. How did he know she would be here? Even Renji and Hisagi had trouble finding her. Ichigo couldn't care enough to follow them when they were looking for her. As she passed, pretending not to notice him, he dropped a thick text on top of the one she was already carrying, causing her to drop both.

"Yo, midget, you'd better pick up my book and get a move on. I don't want to be late for my next class."

He smirked as he turned and started to walk away. He wasn't even going to wait for her to pick the books up – typical Ichigo!

"Hey! I have to go to my own classes, you know," Rukia fumed through clenched teeth.

Although Kurosaki Ichigo responded without turning around, Rukia could hear the smirk widening in his voice.

"But the bet starts immediately and one of the perks of having my own slave is not having to carry my own books. Luckily for you, we're both in the same organic chemistry class. In fact, we have a lot more of the same classes then I think you realize," Ichigo explained without pause.

Rukia let out a strangled cry of frustration as she grabbed up the fallen books and hurried to catch up to him, cursing him under her breath.

"I may have to do your bidding, but I don't have to pretend to like it!"

When she caught up to only a few steps behind him, she hurled his book at the back of his head with all her might and anger.

"Carry your own books, carrot-top!"

"Oooowwwww! That hurt, midget!"

Ichigo grabbed his head with one hand and caught the falling book in the other, immediately tossing it lightly at her chest as he howled. The book knocked wind out of her a little, but Rukia managed to stay upright and narrow her eyes in an evil glare.

Huffing, she briskly walked past Ichigo – both books in her arms and her nose in the air. She would be damned if he was going to get some subservient, groveling lackey kissing his butt and patiently awaiting orders all month. Grumbling and rubbing his head, Ichigo regained his lead before they reached the classroom door.

*****

A/N: This is my first story, so I'd love any feedback! Thank you so much for even reading it! I will most likely post the next chapter sometime this weekend... or sooner, depending on how things go.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm obviously not Kubo Tite and do NOT own Bleach or its characters. I'll go back and add that to my first chapter too, since I forgot it wasn't a given.

**CHAPTER TWO – added 5/15**

Rukia followed Ichigo silently inside, still pleased at how his head was obviously throbbing. The classroom was set up stadium style with tables seating two each, so she followed him up the stairs to his chosen seat. Everyone already quieted in anticipation of the starting class, making Rukia want to squirm, no longer pleased. Frowning, she saw that Renji and Shuuhei had already made it to their seats. She glanced at the empty seat where she usually sat and saw Renji flash her an apologetic gaze.

Besides Renji's and Shuuhei's, she felt the eyes of every girl in the class hot on her back. Of course, Ichigo only made things worse by insisting that she sit next to him in the very top, back row on top of her already having walked in with him. She always sat in front and could have already been sliding down in her chair by now. Rukia sighed in defeat as he pulled the chair out and patted the seat with a smirk. She saw the girls sitting a couple rows down glaring and whispering as she sunk sullenly into the chair next to Ichigo.

It was going to be hard to stay invisible when she was glued to the side of one of their favorite lust objects. She recognized the blond girl that was glaring and whispering as Hamada Eriko and shuddered. Eriko was undisputedly the most popular girl in the entire school. She was at the center of any and every thing considered popular and made all the right social moves, not to mention she had guys – excluding Ichigo – drooling at her feet. The faculty even seemed to love her. Eriko was undoubtedly the queen she proclaimed herself to be.

Rukia had overheard stories of what happened to girls who got on Eriko's bad side. The crazy girl had the largest collection of candid Ichigo photos in the entire school. The kind of photos where she places herself in the background, having a friend with a camera wait until they're both in the frame, and still clearly considers it a photo of her _with _Ichigo. Rukia thought she sounded like a crazy stalker.

Professor Nemu walked in and instantly gave them orders to light the Bunsen burners at each table and continued with rapid, real-time instructions. Her teaching tactics were rumored to be easy compared to those of her mentor, Professor Mayuri, who taught classes Rukia would take at university. Not wanting to leave her grades at the mercy of the idiot beside her, slapping his hands away, she mixed the solution herself, placing it over the flame to simmer.

Without time to double-check her set-up, she furiously began taking notes and following the verbal instructions. It was always a challenge to keep up with the volumes of notes Professor Nemu supplied simultaneously with the procedures. Finally, she stopped to walk around the room and critique their progress. Rukia stretched out her cramped hand.

"Make sure those notes are legible when you make a copy for me," Ichigo directed with a yawn.

"What!?" Rukia bit out with wide eyes and clenched jaw.

"You heard me. I'm not letting you do the entire procedure without at least getting notes out of it," Ichigo stated casually, eyes still closed. "And you didn't open that valve."

Ichigo pointed toward the offending valve, but Rukia slapped his hand away. Seeing that his observation was correct, she opened the valve herself to properly prevent pressure from building up and creating an eruption. Rukia clenched her teeth and glared at Ichigo. He didn't even have his eyes open.

"_Letting _me?"

Rukia wanted to slap more than just his hand. Sure, she preferred that he didn't help her with the procedure, but taking his notes while he napped pissed her off. Him correcting her on the procedure he obviously didn't intend to actually help with only made things worse. Gripping her pen in one hand to temporarily focus her anger, her other hand subtly slid the Bunsen burner toward her offender's sleeve. Rukia bit her lip to keep from smiling or releasing even one tiny giggle.

At the moment she didn't mind sitting at the back of the classroom. Rukia watched smugly as his uniform jacket smoldered and then burst into a giant, roaring flame within seconds. His eyes flew wide open, as she began the second part of her plan – feigning concern and beating his arm under the guise of stifling the flames. She was using his textbook to 'attempt to stifle the flames.' It was the heaviest item at her disposal.

"Muwahaha!"

Rukia let a faint evil laugh and a smile slip. When she glanced at Ichigo's face to see if he noticed, his eyes didn't match his scowl at all. It looked like his eyes were laughing at her, obviously not worried about his flaming arm. Rukia had definitely not been going for funny. He should be screaming in pain or something like that. At least his voice didn't sound amused.

"What the hell, Rukia!?"

"Maybe it wouldn't have happened if you had been paying attention during class," Rukia replied flippantly. "And don't call me Rukia. We're not that close or even close at all."

"I know exactly what happened during every second of class," Ichigo said with eyebrow raised in challenge.

"You do not. If I don't copy my notes for you, you are definitely going to fail the next exam."

"Not everyone has to study as hard as you. Some of us are just naturally smart," Ichigo said with a scowl that had a slightly amused tone to it. "_Rukia_."

"Don't be such an asshat," Rukia growled, as she put more force into the beating she was giving his arm. "You only wish you were that smart. I bet you even envy my rank. I'm almost at the top of our year, you know."

She couldn't believe he had enough willpower to pretend not to notice what was happening to his arm anymore. It only made her want to hit him harder.

"I definitely don't envy your rank," Ichigo said.

Rukia and Ichigo glared at each other, faces only a couple of inches apart. She suddenly found herself getting distracted. The anger slowly started to drain away. Rukia couldn't help but examine the determination and the unidentifiable intense emotion in his amber eyes. Everything but his eyes started to get hazy. Involuntarily, her face moved a fraction of an inch towards Ichigo's.

Professor Nemu took that moment to walk by their table and mutter about deducted points for gross disregard of safety procedures, while picking up Rukia's unfinished lab report with a sniff. Rukia snapped her head to the side and groaned. She had to keep her grades in top shape to know that she could still get into the university of her choice absent of Kuchiki influence. Ichigo was _not_ going to mar her future and make her have to rely on _them _for anything with this stupid bet.

She finished gathering up both of their things. Avoiding more eye contact, Rukia missed the giant smirk on Ichigo's face and how his eyes stayed on her the entire time. One of the girls, Eriko, that had been glaring with especially intense hatred before and during class was still standing by her chair, chatting with her friends. Rukia tried not to look at Eriko and shivered at the evil intentions she felt undoubtedly aimed at her, while nervously starting down the steps.

Replaying Professor Nemu's comment in her head for any hidden meaning, Rukia didn't notice the sly look on Eriko's face directed at her, as she headed for the exit. Trying to hurry past Eriko and her giggling evil sidekicks while not making eye contact, Rukia failed to notice one of the girls shoving a chair into the aisle in front of her with a swift kick. She didn't even have time to realize what was even happening before the books she was carrying launched airborne and the contents of her school bag scattered.

All at once, her shoulder and thigh made harsh contact with the uneven ground of the stairs that served as aisles between the tables. Her belongings rained down around her, luckily missing her head. She was too stunned to cry out in distress or pain. Rukia gasped, a sharp and brief intake of air. A bruise already started forming on her thigh, but nothing hurt enough to be broken. She felt her eyes water and kept her head down as they laughed at how "clumsy" and "annoying" she was.

"Leave her alone! She's with me," said a familiar, growling voice.

She never expected to hear him coming to her rescue in a million years. Ichigo came up beside Rukia and the group of girls who were now mumbling insincere apologies, although to Ichigo instead of her. Only his shoes were in her view, but his voice indicated a deep scowl. She had expected him to laugh with them and maybe tell them all about the bet he'd just won, instead of coming to her defense.

"Oh, Kurosaki! What are you talking about?" one of Eriko's friends, Keiko, asked with a saccharine smile.

"We didn't do anything. She is just so clumsy," Maki, another friend, said unconvincingly.

"Maybe I should carry your books for you and be your lab partner next time," one of the girls – Eriko, of course – offered. "That way something like this won't happen, hmm?"

Rukia could hear the flirtatious tone in every word. The way she said his name and laid clear her intentions made her nauseas. Still lying on the floor, she waited for him to accept the girl's offer and laugh cruelly as they walked off together. If Ichigo hadn't been there, she would have slowly gotten up and mumbled an apology with her head down. Suddenly, Rukia's breath caught in her throat, as she felt his warm hand gently close around her arm and begin to pull her up.

"I'll pass," Ichigo said flatly before crouching next to Rukia. "That looked pretty bad. Can you stand up? You should also... ah... fix your... umm..."

She shrugged him off, stumbled to her feet, and kept her eyes averted from both Ichigo and the group of girls as she instantly hurried out of the room. She didn't look at Ichigo or the girls, but she could hear the girls giggling as she ran. She assumed that Ichigo had finally joined them in laughing at her. Rukia focused on biting back her tears. She instinctively headed for her locker to switch out her chemistry book for her calculus book in her bag.

She reached her locker only to realize she didn't have her advanced organic chemistry text. She didn't have any books or her bag for that matter. Looking back towards the classroom with eyes widening at the realization she'd have to go back, she saw Ichigo. He had grabbed everything she left askew during her hasty escape and followed her to her locker. She stood with her back to her locker as he approached.

"Are you all right?" Ichigo asked with what Rukia thought could very well be either concern or annoyance in his voice. "Umm... I was wondering if you knew that... ah..."

"What?" Rukia demanded.

Ichigo's only response was to blush. When he saw the confused, surprised look on her face, Ichigo silently held her book out to her and set her bag next to her feet, regaining his usual scowl, as he stumbled over his words. Rukia recovered her composure and roughly grabbed the book before picking up her bag with a huff. She went on the offensive before he could get in what she thought was an inevitable jab at how pathetic she is.

"Don't worry; I'm in well enough shape to carry your books and take your notes! I don't need you telling everyone I'm your property! It's just a stupid bet. And I imagine that I can expect some of the same in what I'm assuming is now 'our' advanced calculus class next period?"

Rukia let the anger consume her and push back the tide of tears she still felt waiting threateningly behind her eyes.

"You are _technically _my property for the next month," Ichigo began.

He forgot what he was trying to say and just reacted to her anger with some of his own, saying something counterproductive to his original intent.

"No!"

"I wasn't planning on telling anyone about it. The only way anyone is going to find out is by _you_ yelling about it in the hallways. Aren't you ever nice? Geez, can't you at least thank me for helping you?" Ichigo scowled, looking irritated.

"I said no! I can take care of myself. Honestly, it's like you changed your schedule to have all of my classes," Rukia quipped hotly, slamming her locker door shut and turning to secure the lock on the closed door.

"You shouldn't be so ungrateful, even if I just want to keep the damage you take to a minimum so you can still carry all my books. I'm still defending you more than you seem to ever defend yourself," Ichigo bit right back.

She felt the warmth of his body suddenly come up behind her and gasped. Ichigo brought one hand up on either side of her shoulders to box her in. He was so close she couldn't comfortably turn around. Rukia felt his warm breath as he lowered his mouth to her ear, and she shivered. Her mind raced with possibilities. Heart racing, she slowly raised her foot.

"_Please_ fix your skirt before our next class. I can't just stand behind you all day like this," he whispered in her ear before the heel of her foot came down on his toes.

After a brief grunt of pain, he just sighed and started making his way to what she assumed was their next class together. She reached up behind herself to feel her exposed panties – white cotton that, thankfully, gave her rear end full coverage. Her face turned crimson as she yanked her skirt from where it had tucked itself into its own waistband. Worst of all, she found herself wishing he had seen the one pair of panties she owned that weren't boring white cotton.

It must have somehow happened when she fell. She had lain on the floor giving those girls and Ichigo a full, lengthy view of her panties! Ichigo had followed _behind_ her to her locker. He even made a point of mentioning how he couldn't stand the sight. His comment was almost worse than this being the the circumstance of first time anyone has seen her panties. Her day had barely started and Rukia already felt so broken and humiliated, not to mention the feeling of Ichigo being so close to her a moment ago. This bet was going to make her into an even more obvious embarrassment to the Kuchiki name.

She turned to watch him walk away. How did she not notice him in her classes before? His hair was a very eye-catching shade of orange after all. It did explain how she couldn't manage to stop running into him all the time though. She bent down to pick up her bag only to notice it was already gone. Looking up, she saw that Ichigo had her bag, in addition to his own, leaving her with a single textbook to carry.

After more shared classes than Rukia thought they had, Ichigo released Rukia from her duties with a smirk. Apparently, he was going to come for her early in the morning tomorrow. She wished he had told her exactly how early, as she trudged back to her room. At least she would be able to keep her usual evening routine and just cut back her time spent reading manga directly before bed for some more sleep. Ichigo was nothing like any but the villainous characters in her shoujo volumes.

**********

A/N: Thank you to everyone for the encouraging comments/reviews! I'm going to try to post twice a week.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I definately do not own Bleach. I don't even use bleach to clean or do laundry.

**CHAPTER THREE – posted 5/19**

On Thursday, Rukia wasn't free to go right after her last class, as was usual. Instead, Ichigo led her to the library to do their assignments together. Luckily it was only a few and then some reading. Suddenly, she noticed something was different, as she ascended the stairs towards what was unmistakably the top floor, her floor. Something didn't feel right, besides Ichigo being there, of course.

It wasn't that something didn't feel right; something was missing. Rukia wasn't carrying any books or her messenger bag. Panic set in and she raised her eyes to Ichigo, about to tell him she had to go back to the classroom for the bag he clearly made her forget. She groaned, thinking that would mean she had also forgotten his things as well.

"Ichigo, I for...," Rukia started.

Her voice trailed off when she saw her messenger bag right in front of her face. Ichigo was carrying both of their belongings. When had he done that? He left the classroom ahead of her. He could have reflexively picked up his own things, but there was no way he would have accidentally grabbed hers. This had happened all week too – consistently – now that she really thought about it. Rukia trudged up the stairs, confused, uncomfortable.

She followed Ichigo to her usual study table. He put his bag on the table and sat down in her usual chair. Rukia frowned. Rukia always sat in the same chair at her study table. It seemed to help her fall into the right mindset to focus on her work and get it done. She walked right up next to him and punched him in the shoulder. As he turned towards her with a scowl, she kicked his exposed shin for good measure.

"That's _my_ chair at _my _study table. Go sit somewhere else," she hissed, letting her uneasiness translate into anger.

"It's just a chair you midget freak! You can have it, since the chairs are _all the same_," he hissed back.

Getting up, he placed her bag next to her usual chair and pulled out the one across from it for himself. Rukia stood next to the table, unmoving. Ichigo looked from her to the empty chair with an expectant scowl. She wordlessly sat down, opened her textbook, and started solving the list of calculus problems she was assigned, as she doubted it would be worth the trouble to make him move to another table. Ichigo leading her here of all places to study kept gnawing at the corner of her mind.

"Why did you want to come up here to study? You never come up here."

"Isn't this where you always come to study? It doesn't make a difference to me, so I thought we'd come here," he said without looking up from his work.

"I bet you're trying to ruin this spot for me, so I'll have trouble right before exams. Jerk," she muttered accusingly.

Even that didn't make Ichigo look up; he only halfheartedly shrugged. She fell silent, waiting for a comeback that never came. Rukia heard him sigh once, before becoming as quiet as she. Ichigo was focused on his assignment. The lack of deviation, down to the very chair she sat in, unnerved her a little, but she pushed it to the back of her mind.

For the next couple of hours, she managed to become engrossed with her work and completely ignore the orange-headed idiot across from her. At least he knew how to be quiet in the library. Rukia nonchalantly closed her notebook, adjusted her bag securely on her shoulder, and rose to leave. She was halfway to the stairs when she heard Ichigo's voice call out from behind her.

"Where are you going?"

"I have things to do; I'm going back to my room," Rukia said, stopping without turning around.

"You can't go back yet," Ichigo said with a scowl. "I can't keep letting you go early."

"Early my ass. You're supposed to let me go after classes. Why can't I go back to my room, and when did you become the one to decide?"

Rukia spun around, crossing her arms in front of her chest, and narrowing her eyes in challenge. Evident from her language, Rukia felt comfortable not acting like a Kuchiki with Ichigo. It felt great not to worry about her manners.

"I'm not supposed to do anything other than what I want, and I decide since I won you in the bet, of course. It's the entire reason you're standing here with me right now. Or did you start enjoying my company all of a sudden and forget?"

It felt like his eyes were burning into her, hot as their molten amber suggested. They held an unknown, more intense feeling than his teasing voice suggested. Rukia groaned at his mention of the bet; he usually didn't mention the bet at all.

"That would _never_ happen," she snapped, secretly lamenting it already happening more than a couple times so far.

Rukia thought she saw a look of pain cross his face, before he resumed his usual scowl.

"What is _sooo_ important that you have to do it right now, huh, Rukia? You should finish your reading first."

"I go down to the pool every night after finishing my schoolwork to swim laps, if you must know. It's really therapeutic, and I don't like running. I only have one chapter left to read. It's you who's working too slow. If I leave now, I'm barely going to get to the pool with enough time before the open swim period is over," Rukia huffed.

His scowl twitched up in the corners. It looked like he was trying not to grin.

"Well, that is quite the coincidence, because I was just about to tell you that _we _are going to go swimming after we finish our homework anyway."

"Didn't you hear me say that the pool will be closed if I wait any longer. _We_ cannot go swimming, unless we go right now. I can't wait for you to finish. I'll have to go on ahead by myself."

Rukia stood with her hands on her hips. Victory felt so close. She made no move to rejoin Ichigo at the table, but to her surprise, he closed his own book and stood up.

"What are you doing? I thought you weren't finished?" Rukia asked.

Ichigo just shrugged, slinging his bag over his head.

"I've actually been finished for a while, since I've already done the reading. I was waiting for you out of courtesy. It looks like _you_ are the slow one here," he said with a smirk.

"Then what were you reading just now?" Rukia retorted.

"Shakespeare; he's my favorite author," Ichigo replied, smirk still in place.

He got up and walked past her towards the stairs. Ichigo lifted her bag off of her shoulder and transferred it to his own without missing a step. Rukia spun around to follow him, catching up to him with quick steps.

"What? You're lying!"

"No, Shakespeare really is my favorite author."

Rukia gritted her teeth. He was definitely doing this on purpose.

"No, I mean when did you already do the assigned reading? I've been with you all day, and there is no way you had time for that," questioned Rukia in an angry library whisper.

"Eh, I read all the textbooks already during the break before the beginning of the semester and don't need to re-read them. I still remember everything. It makes classes kind of boring sometimes, but it saves me time, so I can do other stuff," he said nonchalantly with a shrug, as she descended the stairs."

"But you have to have something better to do than what I normally do?"

Ichigo stopped walking but didn't turn around. He was obviously making a show of trying to think of what else he could be doing.

"Not really. I'll go back to my room to grab my things and meet you at your room, alright?"

"What... you... how... umm, that's fine. I guess," Rukia grumbled with irritation.

Rukia hurried back to her room, certain that she could grab her already packed bag and leave before Ichigo had a chance to get to her room. Maybe if she wasn't there, he would just go back to his room. She couldn't stop thinking about how he always managed to one-up her. Bag in hand, she opened her door only to find Ichigo standing with his hand poised to knock. He sported his usual all-purpose scowl.

"Let's go then," he said, turning around.

Rukia frowned, noticing that he once again had her bag. If she didn't know any better, she would have said that _he_ was waiting on _her,_ instead of the other way around. That ridiculous notion was quickly dismissed, as she followed Ichigo all the way to the pool house. The entrance door locations for their respective locker/changing areas were adjacent. He turned around only to hand her the bag he was carrying and disappear through one of the doors. If only for a moment, Rukia thought Ichigo might look a bit uncomfortable.

For a full minute Rukia just stood holding her bag, hoping his discomfort was a harbinger of Ichigo admitting something akin to not being able to swim. Then, she proceeded into the locker room to change into her swim suit. It was a one piece. Although it clung to her body like a second skin, the black suit was a modest cut – mock turtleneck with a zipper up her entire back. She could hear a soothing hiss of water, indicating most of the showers were in use by girls leaving. The open swim time always had sparse attendance towards the end, making it Rukia's preferred time to swim laps.

Stepping onto the pool deck and listening to the meditative sound of the water, she threw her head forward, bending almost in half at the waist to gather her hair for a secure ponytail and saw definitively male feet approaching from the side out of the corner of her eye. Swiveling to stand and face the owner of the feet, Rukia came face to face with Ichigo. He had on a pair of plain, cargo-style gunmetal gray trunks; however, Ichigo still sported his t-shirt.

"Are you planning to keep that shirt on while you swim? You can't get a sunburn indoors after sunset, idiot," Rukia said with a smirk.

Given his reputation, Rukia didn't peg him as the shy type. Ichigo looked at her with a frown. He, then, glanced at the pool, eyes flicking to each swimmer, as if counting the number of people. There were only two others. He gave an inward sigh of relief before focusing on Rukia.

"I guess not."

"Well, what are you waiting for? Do I have to hold you down and take it off for you?"

Ichigo blushed. Rukia followed suit, realizing her teasing offer didn't sound as innocuous as was her intent. Instantly, she realized that she only wore a swimsuit, even though it was more conservative than that of any other girl she'd ever seen at any pool. She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms protectively across her chest. Rukia felt the act would ensure he wouldn't guess her mind had strayed immediately to think about the implications of her statement, about her pushing him to the ground and ripping off his shirt.

"That's alright," Ichigo said, awkwardly clearing his throat, scratching his head, and looking away. "I'll pass. Ah, why don't you go ahead, and I'll ah... need a minute to get settled before I get in."

"Suit yourself," Rukia sniffed. "It's easier if you just get right in though."

She immediately turned, took a few steps, pulled her goggles down, and dove cleanly into the cool water. The first shock of the cool water exponentially decreased, leaving only the silky feel of the water enveloping her entire body. Rukia seamlessly moved into a graceful breaststroke. By no means did she have a talent for anything beyond the technical points of performing the each of the swimming strokes, but she held no interest in competitive swimming or speed anyway.

On the way back after her turn, Rukia spotted orange in the lane beside hers out of the corner of her eye. Ichigo must have waited until just after she entered the water to take off his shirt and follow suit. The next hour passed smoothly. The solitude and feel of the water mimicked a sort of meditation for Rukia, helping her clear her mind. It felt good and never drew attention to her being alone.

"Hey, get out of the pool, strawberry," Rukia shouted to Ichigo.

Rukia had pulled herself out of the water just before the buzzer alerting swimmers of the pool's closing time sounded. Everyone had left except for the two of them. Ichigo frowned at her from the water.

"Stop trying to rush me, midget," Ichigo shouted back, not moving to exit.

"Stop being an asshat. Didn't you hear the buzzer? You have to get out _now_," Rukia said, hands on her hips, goggles and swim cap in hand.

"What's wrong with you. I'll get out. You don't have to watch," Ichigo said with a scowl.

"Ooooh, it looks like someone is shy," she teased back with a smirk. "I guess I'll just have to stand right here until you get out."

Rukia savored the moment, loving how she was obviously irritating him. Frown deepening, he pulled himself out of the water, keeping eye contact with Rukia all the while. His eyes looked hard and determined. Rukia's eyes moved to his chest and the several long, white, jagged scars decorating it. Her smile faded, and she gasped.

Rukia found herself taking a step towards Ichigo. Her free hand involuntarily rose towards the middle of the largest, longest scar running from his shoulder to the opposite hip. Ichigo's sharp intake of breath snapped her out of the trance she was in. Her eyes rose back to meet his. Rukia's hand stopped just short of making contact with his skin, and dropped limply back to her side.

"I'm out. Can you go now?" Ichgio said with an empty, guarded voice.

"I wasn't trying to...," she muttered sincerely, looking away. "Sorry."

He lingered just a moment before walking past her to the locker room, grabbing his t-shirt and towel on the way. From the tone, or lack thereof, in his voice, Rukia could tell that he had been trying to hide the scars from her. She couldn't even imagine how he could have gotten scars like that. She hated herself for how she reacted. It was one thing to make fun of his hair and miserable personality.

Gathering her resolve, Rukia decided that she didn't have to feel awkward when he had obviously intruded upon her routine and put himself into this situation all on his own. With a nod, she headed for a shower. Rukia took her bathing suit off, rinsed it, and left it on a hook just outside the shower room. The shower was one large room with a pillar in the middle to provide the water.

This late in the evening she was the only one left and never had any intrusions on her modesty. Chlorine removal shampoo, conditioner, and soap were provided in dispensers, so she hadn't needed to stop by her locker for anything. She did not think about the sight of Ichigo in his swim trunks or his scars while in the shower, instead she mentally reviewed material from her class assignments.

Turning off the water, Rukia sighed as she wrapped her towel around her naked body. In the middle of her first step out of the shower she froze. Her swim suit was missing; someone had quietly taken her suit while she showered. Someone could have mistakenly thought it was her own, but she hadn't heard the sound of anyone else in the locker room. Rukia's anxiety heightened with every step she took towards the locker with her clothes. Nausea poured over her as the panic hit her stomach all at once with the sight.

She always brought a lock and put it securely on her locker. The locker door, now, stood wide open and her bag sat on the nearby bench. Rukia stood clutching her empty bag. Well, it was empty except for the bra and panties she had put in the side pocket, unnoticed by the culprit. Unfortunately, it didn't make Rukia feel much better. She needed something to wear over the undergarments.

Her towel suddenly felt like a washcloth, even though it covered her from chest to mid-thigh. Desperately clutching her towel, she sunk onto the bench with tears silently streaming. She only had two options: to run across the entire, dark campus in a towel or to beg Ichigo to help her somehow. Rukia jumped as someone pounded on the door separating the locker room from the hallway.

"Rukia! Are you done yet?" Ichigo called out from just outside the locker room door. "I've been out here for at least twenty minutes."

Rukia took a deep breath and wiped all trace of her tears. Quickly, she donned what she had and wrapped the towel around herself once more. Rukia really only had one option. She took the fact that he was waiting for her as a good sign. The air in the hall way was cold, as she slowly pushed the door open until her eyes met Ichigo's. At the sight of her, his eyes widened and he blushed furiously.

"Rukia, wh-wh-wh-where are your clothes?" Ichgio squeaked, barely able to find his voice.

Ichigo's eyes transfixed at the sight of her. It was impossible for Rukia not to notice how incapacitated he looked. She steeled her nerves, feeling like she would cry if she said it out loud. He was not going to see her cry; crying is for weak, helpless girls. Gaze drifting to the empty bag in her hand, her voice had the resolve her appearance didn't.

"Gone. My clothes and my swimsuit are gone. I'm wearing all I have left."

"Ah," was his only reply.

"Don't just stare at me! I can't walk across campus in nothing but undergarments and a towel!"

The frustration in her voice gave Ichigo his senses back. Ichigo instantly made it his mission to keep eye contact with Rukia. He did not ogle girls – ever.

"You should wear my sweatshirt, but I don't have any extra shorts," Ichigo offered. "It's lucky you're such a midget, huh?"

Rukia nodded. Ichigo unzipped the mock turtleneck/track jacket style sweatshirt he was wearing and slipped it off, giving it to her. She ducked back into the locker room and emerged wearing the sweatshirt over her towel. It covered her from neck to knee. It was like an very ill-fitting one piece.

"Thank you, Ichigo."

"That's definitely better, but I'll have to walk you to your dorm."

Rukia smiled softly and nodded. They walked side by side in silence across campus, stopping at her dorm. The only noise had been the light smacking of her flip flop thong sandals. Rukia grabbed the door handle and froze, keeping her gaze on the door in front of her.

"Ichigo, this never happened, alright? If you don't have the sense to agree, I'll beat some into you."

Her voice sounded like she meant it. Ichigo gulped audibly.

"What never happened?" Ichigo replied with a nervous smile, repressing the urge to tease her.

Rukia broke into a run, heading straight to her room as soon as the door shut behind her, blocking Ichigo's potential view of her. Once inside her room, she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. The comforting sound of his voice replayed in her head over and over. Pulling the towel out from under the sweatshirt, she crawled into bed with her manga. Rukia fell asleep breathing in Ichigo's spicy scent, which clung to his sweatshirt that she still wore.

**********

A/N: A special thanks to anyone who sent me a message or review or put my story on their alert. I recognize some authors from stories that I've read and liked, which is super flattering that they would want to read mine. I'll post Chapter 4 in a couple days.

wayoshi -- I was actually trying to keep the characters as true to their given personalities as possible, so I'm pleased to hear that. Unfortunately, I don't thikn the plot will allow for it later on. It helps me convince myself that some IchiRuki in Bleach is highly likely.

Fathom-x -- I know it sounds unlikely that her skirt would have gotten tucked like that in Chapter 2, but I imagine it happened when she fell on the unevenness of the stairs. Also, she had a traumatic morning and, as is implied in Chapter 4, people usually don't pick on her, so she was especially flustered and just didn't notice.

happyfacez -- It's not that Rukia is geeky; it's more that she's socially removed. Chapter 4 will help clarify what I mean a little (I hope). In this chapter you might have noticed that she doesn't even do things where she's likely to meet other people or have anyone question why they see her by herself (studying in the library and lap swimming in a practically empty pool).


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

**CHAPTER FOUR – posted 5/22**

A couple times a week, Professor Ukitake let her audit the drawing class he taught; he taught part-time at the academy and part-time at the university. Rukia never drew anything worth showing to anyone, but it made her feel relaxed and happy. If she wasn't allowed to audit, her brother would otherwise demand she give up her pleasure in favor of a class in which she could make decent marks or show a talent. Maybe she could ask Professor Ukitake if she could continue to secretly indulge herself in art classes at university too.

She had a break for lunch right after drawing, which was one of her few Ichigo-free classes, so she had a chance to elude Ichigo during her mid-day lunch break as well. Continuing with her deplorable luck or simply lack thereof, she spotted a flash of orange hair moments after setting foot in the atrial cafeteria. Rukia groaned. This bet is worse than she thought and not even close to over.

She kept her face down while in line for her food, hoping she would be indistinguishable from any other student by showing only the back of her head. Practically throwing her money at the cashier, Rukia desperately scanned the courtyard for Renji and Shuuhei. Rukia hoped no one would recognize her without Ichigo beside her. Her happiness for the next hour depended on how fast she could get to the safety of a table.

She wasn't sure what was worse: that it looked like she was vying for Ichigo's attentions, that she had agreed to fulfill the bet, or that she risked everyone knowing her friends would bet her like that. What did that say about her? Was this all it would take to tarnish the Kuchiki name? Of course, being invisible meant that almost no one knew what name she had to tarnish. Rukia wasn't unpopular exactly. She just didn't have a social presence, like someone whose life and job have become indistinguishable. She never thought her pathetic social life might actually be a good thing.

During her simultaneous worrying and frantic searching, she failed to see the rice ball come flying at her head. At least it was just a rice ball this time. The culprit with impeccable aim was undoubtedly another of Ichigo's fan girls. She almost wished Ichigo was there to block it from ever hitting its target and cast a blanket glare at whoever may have thrown the rice ball for her. His protectiveness confused her. Even Renji and Shuuhei weren't as dedicated to doing anything on her behalf as Ichigo seemed to be. Spending time with Ichigo wasn't the worst part of the bet.

Rukia wiped a piece of rice off of her cheek and lowered her chin. Her eyes teared in embarrassment and humiliation, as she tried to keep her indifferent Kuchiki composure. At least a rice ball was better than the noodles. Remembering their oily feel, she shuddered. Ichigo's fan girls didn't seem to care about anything except that she was a recurring fixture at Ichigo's side. They had really upped the ante with stealing her clothes at the pool last week. Being alone most of the time was definitely better than this kind of attention.

Suddenly, she spotted Renji's red pineapple hair sticking up and sped over with relief, sliding into a seat across from Shuuhei. She smiled and greeted her friends with a nod. Then, she noticed that the two of them sat on the same side of the table... weird. How long had they already been sitting there like that? What if she hadn't come to join them?

"So, how is it going so far? You only have two more weeks to go after this weekend, and you seem to be holding up alright," Shuuhei inquired around a bite of food.

"Even if there is a bet, we'll beat the stuffing out of him for torturing you too much or trying to make you unwillingly do anything perverted that his depraved mind comes up with," Renji offered (or maybe threatened, given his tone).

Rukia's mind recalled the incident after Professor Nemu's class at the beginning of the bet and several other instances where Ichigo had made her similarly shiver, but pushed them out of her mind before she could blush.

"You mean like you did when you bet me in the first place," Rukia deadpanned, as Shuuhei diverted the subject to something decidedly more amiable.

"Oh, and if you happen to spend any time with his friend, Matsumoto Rangiku, put in a good word for me. I felt it from the moment I saw her. I've been in love with her forever, but she is definitely out of my league. Uh, getting back to the bet, really, how is it going?"

"Psh, I'm sure you're in love with her overflowing _personality_," Renji teased, denying Rukia the opportunity to answer.

"What?"

"Come on and admit it. I know I wouldn't mind a girl with a couple of _personalities_ like that either. Uh, sorry for saying that, Rukia."

Rukia only ignored Shuuhei's request and Renji's subsequent comments. Having guys for friends means they will occasionally forget you are a girl and behave accordingly.

"There's nothing to admit," Shuuhei sourly replied, batting Renji's dessert pastry onto the floor with a splat. "My love is pure."

Rukia finally started to relax and took a bite of her grilled muenster cheese on whole grain with mustard, sweet relish, tomato, hummus, and spinach. The taste made her reflect on how lucky she was that Kuchiki Byakuya sent her here. She loved how the cafeteria had made-to-order sandwiches, since she was vegetarian. However, she occasionally saw a busty auburn haired girl making the most disgustingly unnatural sandwiches. Ichigo would definitely really like her if she looked like that girl. Rukia paused, wanting to scratch that thought from ever happening.

Her brother graduated from the academy and was on especially good terms with the administration, given his rise to the top of one of the most powerful corporations in the country almost directly after graduation and his monetary support as an alumnus. He must have felt like this was a satisfactory lock-box to both get her out of his hair and satisfy his protectiveness. Rukia had never spent that much time with him, so she honestly thought it was really more not knowing what to do with her than being protective.

Protectiveness... that reminds her... where _is_ Ichigo? As she chewed, Rukia quickly scanned her immediate vicinity for orange, relieved to see none. Taking a bite of her grilled cheese, the phrase 'taste of freedom' suddenly made a lot more sense. Rukia smiled, deciding she was free to do as she pleased until Ichigo found her on the way to their next class. She wasn't about to go looking for Ichigo to boss her around, even if she couldn't help wondering what he could be doing. With Renji's interruption finally over, Rukia responded to Shuuhei's earlier query.

"Do you expect me to say it's going alright so far? That bastard says I have to carry books, take notes... and those are the highlights! He even comes with me to swim every evening like he has nothing better to do. All of my suffering is indirectly his fault. Oh, the worst, truly tortuous part is that I've become the primary target of his fan girls.

Rukia couldn't possibly tell either of them that just having Ichigo around while she did what she would normally do wasn't really all that bad, so she focused on what was.

"They glare, trip, push, and anything else they can get away with. I had to replace my textbooks after someone sprayed the pages with what must have been a mix of water and glue on Tuesday. The pages were one inseparable mass. I had to accept Ichigo's offer to use his textbooks while I waited for new ones!"

"At least Ichigo let you use his textbooks. That was kind of nice, since he probably needed them," Shuuhei commented, popping a French fry into his mouth.

"Not really. Then, yesterday someone poured an entire bottle of some disgusting perfume on my ballet class clothes. It smelled so strong that no one would stand within twenty feet of me. I got remanded for being so tacky and got kicked out of class, as if I _wanted_ to smell like that. I had to skip my next class and shower twice just to get it off of my skin.

"The things they do only get worse the more they see me with him. It's barely half way – not even two full weeks! I have at least two _more_ weeks of this, and it could get even worse," Rukia groaned and dramatically dropped her face into her hands, shaking her head, moving her hands up to grip her hair.

Renji and Shuuhei had been afraid to even interrupt her tirade after the glare she had given Shuuhei. They didn't like seeing her so distraught but were more afraid she would turn homicidal. The identities of her first two targets were obvious and the likelihood of each of their deaths more so, especially with them being right in front of her. The silverware on her tray suddenly looked very sharp.

"Rukia?" whispered Shuuhei.

Shuuhei and Renji gasped as she raised her head. Rukia's hair was sticking up and her eyes looked crazed. It was especially scary, since neither had ever seen her look this unhinged.

"Uh, are you alright Rukia?" Renji tentatively ventured, eyes still unnaturally wide from her rant.

She didn't say it aloud but couldn't help thinking about what the most disturbing part was for her. Some sick, twisted part of her enjoyed fighting with Kurosaki and enjoyed having him defend her. Rukia was afraid she might actually enjoy Ichigo's company – _really _enjoy his company. She remembered what Ichigo accused her of in the library last Thursday. He said she was starting to forget that she was spending time with him due to enforcement of the bet.

Rukia couldn't deny that he really isn't so bad to be around. Ichigo is nice to her more than anything. Ichigo does everything he tells her she is supposed to do, except the notes she would take for herself anyway. Rukia still hadn't made copies of her notes, and she hadn't carried her own books since the beginning of the bet. He doesn't really make her do anything other than be with him. They even study at _her_ table and go on _her _nightly swim. She knew he had to have other things they he'd enjoy more and kind of appreciated it.

"_All right?_ Didn't you hear what they've already done to me so far?! Talk about misplaced jealousy – as if! I don't want to be seen anywhere near Kurosaki Ichigo. Or are you asking because you're both just worried that I'll bail out and because he'll make you two pay up another way?" Rukia finished vehemently and narrowed her eyes accusingly.

She looked angry (albeit more sane) to her friends. Part of it was panic that she channeled into anger and directed at her friends. Rukia didn't like being able to admit that she didn't want to be seen with Ichigo – _seen_ with Ichigo. She definitely didn't mind spending time with him, although she'd only admit it to herself. However, she could do without the torture from his fan girls. It had only gotten worse after he went home last weekend, instead of taking one of them out on a date. They blamed her.

"Heh, heh, sounds like it'll be over in no time, right Shuuhei?" Renji gave a nervous fake-sounding laugh and elbowed Shuuhei, queuing Shuuhei to smile and nod agreement. "Maybe when it's over we can help you out by kicking his ass. It will be revenge for all three of us, right?"

"I don't know. You did say that he disposed of you two before you could even blink. Are you sure you're going to be able to take him? Hmm... I wonder if you'll even get a chance before my brother is through making your sorry asses pay for treating someone with the Kuchiki name like currency?"

The evil grin on Rukia's face didn't match her nonchalant tone, making Renji and Shuuhei pale. It was especially unsettling after the way she had looked during her uncharacteristic display of panic earlier.

"Renji, you should really stop offering to have us kick Kurosaki's ass," Shuuhei murmured out of the corner of his mouth.

Renji nodded but didn't take his eyes off of Rukia. She knew that they thought she might try to beat them up, knowing they would never hit a girl. However, Rukia knew that verbally assaulting their masculinity was almost as good as a physical beating and just as satisfying. Her last words were already taking their toll on their manly egos.

Rukia could almost see black waves of embarrassment and self-loathing rising off of them. Just as she started to bask in satisfaction of a job well done, she felt a hand land firmly on her shoulder. Her smile instantly turned into a deep frown and her stomach flipped as she slowly turned. She knew exactly who she would see beside her.

"I guess I finally found you, Rukia. You know, you should really start eating lunch with me from now on."

"Since when does Kurosaki get to call her 'Rukia'?" Renji asked to no one in particular, narrowing his eyes.

Everyone ignored Renji.

"What do you want, strawberry?" asked Rukia.

"Gee, you get right to the point. I was just coming to find you, because I've finished my lunch and need to get going."

"Well, why don't you go ahead? I'm not finished."

"I have to get some materials that need to be carried to my next class for a presentation I have to give. I can't very well carry those myself; can I?" Ichigo smirked.

"Yes. _I'm_ certainly not going to be the one to do it," Rukia firmly stated, before taking another bite of her sandwich.

The locked eyes challengingly for a moment. She knew that he knew that she knew that he would no doubt continue carrying everything while pretending Rukia was. Rukia was the most useless slave ever. Realizing and ignoring her implication, Ichigo continued, putting his hands in his pockets.

"You should really be more attentive from now on. You've got some rice on your face. I've decided that I don't want to have to get my own lunch, when I have you to do it for me. We'll meet outside the cafeteria next time, so I can tell you what I like to eat before you go through the line."

Was this his way of saying he was going to be getting her lunch from now on? It would be harder for his fan girls to take their displeasure out on her if she wasn't walking around the cafeteria, so she hoped that was the case. Ichigo turned and started to leave, then, stopped and turned to look expectantly at her still sitting with sandwich in hand. His look made it clear that she was missing something that should have been obvious. She frowned.

"Hurry up and follow me. You sure are a slow learner for getting some of the best marks in our class and having done this for almost two weeks now," Ichigo sighed as if he had all reason to be exasperated with her sedentary position.

"But I already told you that I'm not finished with my lunch," Rukia protested. "I plan to stay right here and eat it."

"Not while you have to do what I say. I'm sure you can finish your sandwich on the way. And try to look a little less tired; it's kind of scary."

"It's your fault I look like this, carrot top," Rukia grumbled. "And I don't think I look _that _bad. I'm just a little tired."

Reluctantly, Rukia got up, giving a withering glare to both of her friends. This was humiliating, but better than her friends seeing him be nice to her. Maybe Ichigo would go home this weekend too. She followed Ichigo silently and continued to let her thoughts wander. It would be so wonderful to be able to do as she pleased, when she pleased. How will he treat he when the bet is over? Will Ichigo still run into her at university? Their arguing was kind of exhilarating, and she wanted to at least keep that.

She kind of enjoyed having Ichigo stick up for her and glare at her tormentors, even though it was usually his fault she needed the defending in the first place. She mused that she might like spending time with Ichigo, as long as she knew what he was thinking. Then, she couldn't help but think that he couldn't possibly feel the same about someone like her.

She was struggling to prove her worth and potential. Unfortunately, the best she felt she will be able to accomplish will be to not bring shame to the Kuchiki name. It had been years since her brother had been called to school, because she chose to verbally, which quickly turned to physically, defend herself. The girl had called Rukia stuck-up and then insulted her sister by calling her a whore and gold digger that got what she deserved.

Byakuya never found out why the fight had really happened, only heard that Rukia savagely attacked a classmate. The look her brother gave her during his lecture was worse then any punishment the school doled out. It happened when she was in junior high, right before she transferred schools and right after her brother became the closest thing to family she had. She used to hate the world, and she still hated herself. She had just wanted to be left alone.

There were sacrifices she had to make and rules she had to follow to be a Kuchiki. She remembered Hisana every time she thought about rebelling or running away. Rukia had never seen Hisana as happy as Kuchiki Byakuya made her, but Rukia was sure that Hisana decided to marry Kuchiki Byakuya partly so Rukia could have what Hisana told her would be better opportunities. She owed Hisana, and she wanted the Kuchikis to see her as something other than a burden.

She always hoped that everything would change and that she would be confident and strong when she started university... maybe even becoming attractive to guys. It would be a fresh start where she could reinvent herself. Byakuya would be proud of her and let her take martial arts again, instead of ballet. In her wildest, most private dreams, she would meet a handsome prince that would take all of the Kuchiki stress off her shoulders, but (of course) still let her make her own decisions and have a career. Rukia giggled at how her fantasies sounded like a shoujo manga.

"Arghaaaaaaaa!" Rukia stumbled mid-giggle on her way down the stairs and screeched, waving her arms wildly.

Everything was in slow motion. Her sandwich flew through the air to splat against the wall opposite the bottom stair. Her eyes followed the sandwich all the way to the ground, moving back up to see the tomato slice somehow staying stuck to the wall. Suddenly, Rukia realized that she wasn't falling forward any longer and seemed to be suspended almost perfectly horizontal in mid-air with her toes barely touching the step she had been on. It wasn't just slow motion; there was no motion.

"You should be more careful," Ichigo's voice came from somewhere behind her head, drawing her attention to the feel of his hand holding her up by the waistband of her skirt. "You got this dopey look on your face and just pitched forward. Pay attention to what you're doing, midget."

Why did things like this always happen to her? Was it impossible to stop embarrassing herself in front of Ichigo, even without the help of his fan girls who were definately dedicated to the cause? She hadn't been like this before.

"You don't know what you're talking about. Kuchiki's don't get looks on their faces. We're very focused, serious, and careful," Rukia insisted, crossing her arms.

"Are you sure you're a Kuchiki then?"

Rukia felt a pang in her chest, but she wasn't about to let it show. A Kuchiki wouldn't let it show.

"Can you let go now?"

"Huh, I think you also said 'careful'? Would you mind if I pulled you back up, instead of just letting you go?" Ichigo inquired.

"Hmpf!" Rukia huffed in defiant agreement, crossing her arms.

Face reddening, she looked away.

"I'll take that as you not minding. I wouldn't just drop you, you know."

"Well, that's nice of..."

"You'd probably just tell everyone that I pushed you."

"Perhaps," was her curt reply.

"... like they'd believe you anyways," said Ichigo, smirking.

She stayed still and didn't respond to his comment. Ichigo shifted her back onto her feet and walked past her down the stairs with a sigh. Following more carefully, this time Rukia grabbed the railing. She immediately picked up her thoughts where she left had off, after lamenting the loss of her sandwich. Maybe she could convince him to get her another sandwhich later.

Oddly enough, all of the Kuchiki pressure that she had been thinking about somehow mattered a lot less when she was with Kurosaki Ichigo. She could go all out arguing and forget proper manners. Ichigo seemed to encourage it. He didn't expect her to pretend to be anything; she could be herself. She never remembered feeling as exhilarated and sure of herself as she did with Ichigo. Rukia didn't feel alone anymore. She felt confident and worthy, even when he was holding her up just now. It was too bad it was only for a bet.

... only a bet. Rukia frowned. Maybe after the bet is over she should stop trying to avoid him, so she could keep guiltlessly getting her fix. It wasn't as hard to be a proper Kuchiki when she knew she was guaranteed a chance to drop her composure and let loose. He was in no way her handsome dream prince, but she could at least forget that she was expected to constantly conform to the standards of her noble adoptive family. Ewww! Did she even put Ichigo in the same thought as her perfect man!?

**********

A/N: I can't stop wanting to thank everyone that reviewed or added my story to either their favorite or alert list. I still get just as excited as when I got my very first review/add.

drosophilla melanogaster, Ichi-Ruki4Eva, and BiruBiru - It somehow didn't occur to me that it might look like Ichigo took her clothes, so I threw a sentence in this chapter to preserve Ichigo's reputation and make it clear that it was his fan girls. Also, I don't actually have the end of the story written yet and haven't decided if I'm ever going to specifically address Ichigo's scars. I'll probably just ellude to their source during some IchiRuki bonding.

VanishingSoul - I just didn't want anyone to be significantly out of character, although I think Byakuya might end up that way. I think that Renji got caught up in the moment and let his confidence in his fighting ability prevent him from realizing exactly what he was doing. A lot later in the story the how and the why of the bet will become clearer, but you're on the right track.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

**CHAPTER FIVE – posted 5/24**

Rukia blamed her stumble on the stairs on her being tired. This morning, like all other mornings since last Tuesday, had started with Ichigo waking her up at 4:30AM. At least Rukia usually heard the knocking in time to let her roommate, Hinamori Momo, continue sleeping. Whenever she opened the door, Ichigo always looked relieved to see her, like he expected her to not answer. He also looked well rested. She, Kuchiki Rukia, actually fell asleep during a class after lunch.

He got her up before the break of dawn in order to accompany him to some dilapidated shop that didn't seem to sell anything in particular that, apparently, housed a secret underground terra-formed dojo. No wonder Renji and Shuuhei had no idea he even knew how to fight. Watching made her miss the martial arts classes she had taken from elementary school and until Hisana was no longer there to let her.

She couldn't take her eyes off of Ichigo when he fought with a guy wearing a weird combination of a stripped fishing hat and geta sandals. The way he and Ichigo moved looked inhuman. More curious than the fighting was that they seemed to be constantly discussing things through their battles, although Rukia was never able to hear. If it hadn't happened every morning, she would swear it was a dream. The rest of her time with Ichigo was much more normal.

She felt jealous that he was allowed to fight and that he looked so well rested. Rukia spent hours each night going over the material from the day's classes, but she only assumed he went to sleep, as he never seemed to actually be asleep when he 'napped' during classes. She mused that his marks couldn't possibly be above average, no matter what he said about having read the texts. However, he didn't seem to mind that she had yet to copy her notes for him or that he gave her his texts when hers were ruined.

"Rukia!"

Ichigo's tone suggested that he had asked her a question or gave her an 'order,' and she snapped back from her thoughts only to stare blankly at him in response.

"Huh?" she replied dazedly after a moment.

"I said, don't you always head to the library and study around this time on Fridays?"

"Yeah ... wait! Why does it matter? You skipped out and went home before this class last Friday. How did you know when I go where?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously and raised one eyebrow.

"You usually always get in my way. My classroom is right by the library, so I can't help but coincidentally see you go in," Ichigo mumbled, as he turned his head away in hopes that Rukia wouldn't see his blush. "Anyway, I can handle this class by myself, so you should go to the library as usual."

"Oh, I'm so relieved I have your permission to go to the library now. Idiot, I wouldn't go to a class I'm not even taking anyhow."

"You would if I wanted you to," Ichigo said with a smirk. "I'll need you this weekend; get your studying done now. Meet me back here at the end of class."

With that, Ichigo handed Rukia her satchel and took his book from her hand. She occasionally carried a single book. He left Rukia gaping like a fish in the middle of the hall. He needed her. Why did she like the sound of him saying that he needs her? Shaking her head, Rukia ran off in the direction of the library, hoping it would calm down her flipping stomach and feeling silly.

Her stomach hadn't calmed at all by the time she met up with Ichigo again, although her schoolwork was finished. They were heading towards the dormitories. Rukia yawned, hearing Ichigo talk without actually listening to a word. She had been almost too tired to do her work. Rukia couldn't wait to put on Ichigo's sweatshirt and crawl into bed. Suddenly, she found herself fantasizing about Ichigo scooping her up, carrying her the rest of the way to her room, and... Just as she started to imagine how warm and comfortable his arms would be, she mentally slapped herself.

She couldn't believe she was tired enough to start having thoughts like that again. Sleep was all she wanted for the next two days. Rukia took a deep breath and hoped that Ichigo didn't really need her and would go home again this weekend. She desperately needed to be able to sleep and study, and Ichigo needing her most likely meant getting him copies of the past week's notes. Rukia couldn't let herself think he would need her for any other reason. Nor should she want to, she reminded herself.

"Ugh, I'm so tired I don't even care what you have me do next," Rukia groaned, turning to head for the girls dormitory wing.

If Ichigo was in fact going home for the weekend, she would be able to return to her room and sleep for a good four hours before meeting Renji and Shuuhei in the courtyard for dinner at 7PM. Every Friday the three met for pizza before Rukia went to either her room or the library and the guys went to whatever party or date they had lined up.

"Good; it's settled then. I'll come get you at your room at 8PM. Oh, and I hope that you already have everything all set for the dance tonight. Try not to look like the zombie you do now. Get some sleep," Ichigo smirked and ruffled her hair.

Rukia just stared at his face, obviously not listening. She had zoned out, trying to decide whether he was uglier when he smirked or scowled. What _did _the female population of the school see in Ichigo anyways? He didn't look ugly when he smirked or scowled, Rukia thought. She was doing a horrible job of believing what she was thinking. It was difficult when she already knew she was lying.

"Your eyes just glazed over. I should stop getting you up so early. Make sure you get some sleep before the dance. I don't want you creeping out my friends."

"Wait .... what ... the dance?! I wouldn't go to that stupid end of the year dance in the first place. There is no way I'm going to a dance just to follow you and your date around fetching punch," Rukia balled her hands at her sides and stomped her foot, like a petulant child.

"My date? I'm not taking anyone else to the dance. I wouldn't want to just have you follow us around all evening. Since you _are_ my slave, you don't have a choice and are going to have to be at my side the entire night," Ichigo smirked.

"As if I'd be your date; I can't go to the dance with you! The bet doesn't mean I have to give in to your sick desire to deflower every girl in school," Rukia exclaimed, horrified, wide-eyed.

"You? My date? I never said you were my date. Aren't you listening? I don't need to make a midget like you go with me just to have a date. I go on enough asinine dates to sit this one out and actually have a good time."

"But you just... I distinctly heard... You said... Ah...," Rukia flushed crimson and grasped at words.

Ichigo was obviously enjoying her discomfort. Rukia didn't display her best wit when practically falling asleep on her feet.

"Maybe you would've realized I wasn't asking you on a date if you'd ever been on one. Although I don't know who would actually ask an unpleasant midget like you," Ichigo said with eyebrow raised.

"How would you know that I've never been on a date?" Rukia huffed.

Rukia definitely needed sleep before she could effectively banter. The corner of Ichigo's scowl threatened to twitch upward as he simply ignored her outburst and continued.

"And deflower? Why would you have to worry about me even wanting to do something like that with you? It's like you try to make yourself unattractive to guys by being so disagreeable and violent."

"I do not, and I am not! I will have you know that I'm a very attractive girl that has boys beating down her door for dates!" Rukia spouted.

However, she instantly gave up hope at credulity when she saw Ichigo's eyes sparkling, practically laughing at her.

"You just said you've never been on a date before; get your story straight! Well, if you don't go tonight, I guess I'll tell Abarai and Hisagi that you have backed out. I wonder how they'll take it? To think that you will be responsible for them having to leave school this close to graduation."

"I'm not backing out! A Kuchiki does not back out!"

"You have to go everywhere with me and do whatever I say, including going to this dance – for the bet of course."

She felt tricked but was too tired to really think about it.

"Well, I guess I have no choice, then. 8PM it is," she sighed in surrender, glared, and twitched as he turned and walked away.

Rukia turned the key in her lock and barely pulled it out of the door before stumbling over to her bed. Crashing face first onto her bed, she shrieked in frustration, punched her pillow, and turned to beg a wide-eyed Momo for help getting ready. This wouldn't be so bad if she could just stop thinking about Ichigo like _that_. Sighing, Rukia closed her eyes. At least she could still get just as much sleep as she had planned with Momo to help her now.

Their earlier words replayed in her mind, as she pulled on Ichigo's sweatshirt and adjusted her blankets. Rukia didn't want to go; Rukia was afraid to go. Her mind continued racing as she drifted off to sleep. That was one of the most embarrassing conversations she had ever had with anyone. How could she have thought he was asking her on a real date.

He didn't even see her as a girl! But the thought of him with some floozy made her stomach feel like she swallowed a rock. She would show him by looking beyond merely attractive and make him wish he'd asked her on a real date. It was too bad the closest thing to a date she would have before university would be this miserable outing with miserable Kurosaki Ichigo.

In just over a month she would be forced to associate only with potential husbands selected by her brother. She would have to give up her dream prince in exchange for the reality of a fake joke of a first date followed by Byakuya's matchmaking. Being adopted, she had to at least try to land a socially advantageous husband to prove her worth. The only result she could imagine is a loveless arranged marriage where she could only busy herself by arranging teas and other frivolities. Unfortunately, those thoughts didn't make for pleasant dreams or settle her stomach before she awoke.

**********

"Thank you for helping me get ready Momo. I hate to admit it, but I don't think I've been nice enough to you as a roommate for you to helped me out with this," Rukia awkwardly mumbled to Momo.

"It's nothing," Momo chirped with a smile.

"No. This feels like a big favor, especially the dress and jewelry. I didn't have anything like this here with me. I can't believe you never wore this dress and that it fits me perfectly."

Momo had just slipped a violet, jeweled barrette into Rukia's hair and was proudly smiling at her work on Rukia's high, messy bun with wisps falling to frame her face. Rukia suddenly felt bad for all the times she had involuntarily rebuffed Momo's attempts to be friendly. Momo really was nice and didn't seem to have a mean bone in her body. Maybe this is what it would be like to have girlfriends.

"You know that you don't have to thank me. I guess I'm just kind of relieved for both of us that you _finally_ seem happy, well, since the beginning of last week anyway. I thought you would never open up to anyone, but here you are with me. I mean, it's been like you've had a stick up your ass for the past two years!" Momo smiled.

"Stick where? My... what? Wait. Did you say I was _happy_ since the beginning of last week? I mean I ...," Rukia was at a loss, confused, but Momo just took the opportunity to continue.

"I thought we'd never be friends! It's like you're finally loosening up and showing what you're really like. I mean, it's not that you were nerdy or mean, but you were so... ah... reserved, stuck up, and unfriendly."

"You mean you wanted to be my friend? I... I didn't think... I mean I'm...," Rukia struggled for the words to express herself.

When it suddenly became just Byakuya and Rukia, she had been sent away from everything familiar, to a new junior high and its dorms. She had been depressed, and it drove a wedge between her and any potential friends. Before she reached high school and saw Renji again for the first time since her transfer, Rukia had gotten used to being alone, forgetting how to make new friends or even open up. She put on a cold, indifferent mask to make it seem like she really didn't care, not realizing she came off as stuck up and unfriendly.

"Of course! You just kind of seemed to want to be alone before. I had sort of given up all hope of ever being friends with my roommate, until you started mellowing out. I'm so excited for your first dance."

"Oh, Momo, I'm so stupid! I didn't think you even wanted to be my roommate, let alone friends."

Rukia hadn't realized just how lonely she might be until they had started talking. She was a bit uncomfortable, but it was great. She wanted to be friends with Momo.

"Eh, don't worry about it. This bet has even gotten you out of the room enough that I've gotten some quality time with this guy I'm seeing. "

"Wait, how do you know about the bet?" Rukia looked stricken.

"Don't worry about that either. I'm sure that no one knows about it. I just heard about it from my boyfriend; he's pretty close with Ichigo. I'm not even sure if Ichigo has told anyone besides Toshiro and his friends that were there when it happened."

"Ichigo still told Toshiro about the bet," Rukia groaned.

"Yeah. He told me not to tell anyone and to make sure that I don't tell you that I know. I don't think Ichigo wants anyone spreading it around. It hasn't been long, since Toshiro and I started actually dating, but we're perfect for each other. We tell each other everything. We know each other from childhood," Momo said wistfully.

"That's a long time. Could you tell that he liked you before he confessed?"

"Well, I always knew there was something special about our friendship from the beginning. He never seemed to be interested in girls, but I was sure that it was more that he wasn't interested in _other_ girls. For me it was love at first sight!"

"Really? Love at first sight? Can it even happen that quickly?"

"Uh huh, for Toshiro too. He finally confessed this year, not being the most emotional person. Maybe you're happy, because you've got a crush... or maybe you're already in lo-ove," Momo giggled and paused with a sly grin. "You must really enjoy this Ichigo's slave act. How kinky! Should I read a little more into it when I see you two argue? Maybe Toshiro and I can try it out."

Momo kept giggling, while Rukia's jaw dropped in shock.

"Absolutely not! I would never enjoy even a single moment I have with Ichigo!" Rukia shot Momo a withering glare and took one last look at herself in the mirror. "Wait, did you say slave _act_?"

"Oh, so it's _Ichigo_ now, instead of Kurosaki? Sounds like you're getting pretty close, pretty quickly... or that you wish you were!" Momo snickered and gave in to the urge to tease Rukia. "Oooooh... I bet it was love at first sight for you two too!"

"What!? Never!"

"I guess when Toshiro and I get to the dance, we'll be sure to see you and Ichigo pressed up against one another on the dance floor, lost in each other's eyes or making out."

Rukia chose to ignore most of what Momo had just said.

"You're going, Momo?"

"I must have forgotten to tell you," Momo said with a shrug.

"Why aren't you getting ready? You've spent all of this time on me!"

Rukia couldn't believe she had taken advantage of Momo and left her without time to get ready.

"Oh, I still have plenty of time to get ready. Toshiro had a very important, last minute dinner with family, so he won't be able to pick me up for another 45 minutes or so. Maybe Ichigo will confess to you tonight!"

Rukia's stomach flipped, and she blushed a deep scarlet. She started to think back to love at first sight and imagine what Momo described, until she mentally slapped herself. This kind of thing would only end up with her getting hurt, and she had to focus on her goal.

"I would die before getting close enough to _Kurosaki _to gaze into his eyes!" Rukia huffed, furiously hoping the blush spreading up her face wouldn't contradict the indignation she poured into her voice.

Momo just smiled and fastened the clasp on Rukia's necklace.

"So that's not Ichigo's sweatshirt that you've been putting on the moment you walk through the door? Don't bother trying to deny it. You just took a nap in it," Momo said, smiling wider.

Rukia flashed back to how comfortable Ichigo's sweatshirt felt. She remembered the wiggly feeling she gets when he is close to her and how mesmerizing his eyes are.

"... but he would never want to confess to me," Rukia whispered in a small voice, breaking the eye contact she had with Momo through the mirror.

Momo was giving her a smug 'I told you so' look that made her squirm. A blush crept up her cheeks. Rukia hadn't meant to say that out loud. As if to save her from more awkwardness, someone knocked firmly on the door.

"Oi, Rukia! Open the door. It's 8PM, and you had better be ready!" Ichigo shouted from the hallway.

Although the door was still closed, Rukia could hear his scowl and restrained a forming smile.

"He sounds like he's going to beat down our door to get to you. Rukia, I really don't think he would be going to all of this trouble for just a bet," Momo suggested, as Rukia moved toward the door.

Rukia picked up a deep purple, jeweled clutch and yanked the door open, making sure to plaster a look of disdain on her face. She had never been invited to anything that even slightly resembled a date before. It was lucky that Momo had somehow had a brand new dress, purse, and jewelry that seemed to fit Rukia perfectly. Momo even said that she had never been planning to wear them herself.

"Can't you just knock and wait patiently like someone with any ounce of proper breeding or manners!"

As the door swung open, Rukia saw Ichigo quickly appraise her appearance and froze under his gaze. She wore a plain, knee-length, black dress with an a-line skirt , scoop neck, cap sleeves, and u-shaped dip that exposed her entire back. She could never wear something low cut in the front, but the back didn't seem to matter. Closing the door behind her, Rukia silently thanked Momo again for the dress, as Ichigo looked her over.

"Remind me to thank Momo later," Ichigo mused.

Rukia felt pretty and delicate and knew she owed it all to Momo. She should be the one thanking Momo. Too bad this all had to be for Ichi ... erm ... Kurosaki (she mentally corrected herself). She remembered what Momo said and couldn't help but blush furiously. It was getting harder to keep the images out of her head and almost impossible to lie to herself about what she wanted and how she felt.

It wasn't that Momo was right. Rukia's friends were guys, but they never asked her to accompany them either as a date or just friends to a group date or even a party. Rukia was just enjoying her first whatever this is, and Ichigo taking her is just an unlucky, unpleasant coincidence .... right!

"What did you say? Why would _you_ need to thank Momo?"

"Nothing. She just helped me out with something that turned out really well," Ichigo smirked.

"Ichigo! Why are you looking at me like that!? Stop!"

Rukia couldn't stand to have him look at her with such intense eyes without knowing what he was thinking. With renewed resolve, Rukia lifted her chin to meet Ichigo's gaze. If she had been tall enough, she would have smacked the back of his head.

"Huh, sorry. It's just that you're so short I would've thought you'd wear heels. Seems like you should have at least wanted to use this as an excuse to look like you were a normal height."

Ichigo couldn't resist saying something that spoiled her mood completely, even though he had a rare smile on his face. Rukia noticed that he was starting to replace his scowls with smiles more and more often.

"Well, let's get this over with!"

Rukia shoved Ichigo out of the way and strode down the hall. He simply took a couple steps and easily caught up with her.

"Don't you want to put this on?" Ichigo held out a wrist corsage made from violets and black orchids, while looking off in the other direction.

Rukia stopped walking and stared at the flowers.

"W-w-what? W-why?"

She stopped short, like she'd run into a wall. Rukia stuttered as she gasped for words and breath like a fish out of water for the second time in one day. Sighing loudly, Ichigo grabbed her wrist. She felt the skin on her hand tingle with electricity where he lightly touched her skin.

"Psh, I can't have anyone see you come in with me and say I skipped out on the flowers, even if it is just for a midget non-date like you." Ichigo said, smirking as he slipped the corsage onto her wrist with his other hand.

"Figures," Rukia muttered.

"Hmm... You don't look that bad tonight."

Ichigo still held her hand. For a moment it felt like he had her hand clasped in both of his. Rukia blushed (again!) and turned away.

"Th-thank y...," Rukia nervously stammered.

"You looked kind of crazy earlier, so I was worried."

Just as she started to notice that his fingers were lingering on her wrist, he instantly spun around and headed off towards the ballroom where the dance was being held. Rukia frowned. She already felt foolish for thinking that he got her the corsage for anything other than a selfish, non-romantic reason.

Never the less, her heart skipped a beat when he said she didn't look bad. Rukia reminded herself that it wasn't exactly a compliment with a sigh. If only he hadn't kept talking. She smiled, remembering the feel of his hands on her own. Shaking her head, she hurried to catch up with him.

**********

A/N: I'm really worried about my story right now. Some major plot developments are going to happen in the next few chapters, and I'm desperately hoping none of them kill my story. You know, like stuff that sounds like it makes sense in your head... and then you just end up getting weird looks.

Drosphillia Melanogaster - I totally lied when I said I'd post this yesterday, sorry.

Vanishing Soul - Thank you for catching my mistakes. It's hard to catch things like leaving off a letter, and I hate making stupid mistakes like that. Within the next few days I'll go back over chapter 4. As I write this, I'm crossing my fingers that I didn't make any stupid mistakes in this chapter too.

kaiserkawaii - In the past, Ichigo and Rukia have only ran into each other and briefly argued, like Ichigo is a primary schooler teasing the girl he likes. The 'catch,' as you put it, will become obvious when Ichigo's friends start making appearances and blatantly laid out in a later chapter by Uryu. All I'll say for now is that 'catch' isn't exactly the right term.

Ichi-Ruki4Eva - EXACTLY... too bad it's not that obvious to Rukia too, but it wouldn't be as funny if she caught on quicker :) I think the plot naturally has more banter with them both being so awkward about it.

Thierry-Mist - I toyed with the idea of having him demand she go home with him and then make her hide out in the closet before chapter 4 but decided against it. He may take her home with him at some point though.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

**CHAPTER SIX – posted 5/26**

Rukia was thankful that Ichigo had wanted to show up fashionably late. It was one less hour to potentially spend with him, especially with the way she was feeling all weird around him lately. Momo certainly hadn't helped... at all. Rukia looked around. She wasn't entirely sure who Ichigo's friends were and probably wouldn't know anyone at all until Momo arrived later.

This didn't seem like Renji's style, but maybe she would see Shuuhei. The guys never talked about actual dates and stuff like that with Rukia. However, from what she had noticed, Shuuhei seemed a little less awkward and creepy with the ladies then Renji. Shuuhei was more likely to be here with a date, but she didn't see him.

"Oi, Ichigo!" someone called out.

Ichigo found the owner of the voice and waved to some of his friends after a moment. Rukia wished there were a group of girls somewhere in the room waiting for her to wave. Ichigo firmly placed a hand on Rukia's lower back to steer her toward the group. She shivered and felt her skin tighten, as his entire hand touched her bare skin, radiating heat of which she only wanted more. Maybe this isn't the perfect dress after all, Rukia thought.

She glanced at Ichigo, but quickly looked forward. She started to think that her face would have a permanent blush tonight. At least the lighting was dim. What was wrong with her all of a sudden? First it was her stomach, then her getting flustered with the corsage, and now her wanting to... She didn't even want to address her recent thoughts or the dream she'd had during her nap.

Did she really just want to have Ichigo envelop her entire body in his warmth? No. Did she actually want to be on a date with Ichigo? No. She was just quivering like a jelly more out of revulsion than actually liking his touch. She was just feeling queasy because of the unfamiliar situation. Rukia didn't think she sounded at all convincing.

Suddenly, Rukia found herself in front of two people she hadn't met before. Luckily Rukia recognized one of them and from some of her classes and remembered him exchanging suspicious glances with Ichigo on several occasions. She decided these must be Ichigo's close friends. She vaguely remembered that she would be probably be eating lunch with them for the next two weeks.

"Ichigo," Uryu said and pushed his glasses up with his middle finger.

Chad silently nodded an inaudible greeting.

"Hey Uryu, Chad," Ichigo greeted his guy friends with a smile. "Do you guys know Rukia? She's the one that..."

Ichigo didn't get to finish his introduction. A bubbly, auburn-haired girl in a Barbie-pink dress suddenly burst into the group by dramatically clutching Uryu's arm and promptly cut into the conversation. Rukia inwardly screamed. She wanted to know what Ichigo had been about to say about her, how he was going to introduce her to his friends.

"Hi, Ichigo!" Orihime greeted Ichigo enthusiastically and unknowingly crushed Uryu's arm even further into her chest and hopped a little. "Uryu brought me as his date tonight. We're already having a lot of fun. Uryu only looks like a bookworm, you know."

It was the girl from the sandwich line. Rukia thought the greeting towards Ichigo was a little _too _enthusiastic. She hoped that Ichigo hadn't noticed. With that thought, Rukia mentally kicked herself for even having a thought like that. She didn't care who Ichigo noticed, right?

"Hey, Orihime," Ichigo said while stifling a laugh at how uncomfortable Uryu looked. "You got here just in time for my introduction. Kuchiki Rukia this is Inuoe Orihime, Ishida Uryu, and Yasutora Sado. We call Sado 'Chad.' She's the one I told you about. I don't think any of you have actually met Rukia before, have you?"

Rukia raised her hand in a wave, not trusting her voice. That did not help Rukia out at all. She wanted to know what he had told his friends about her. The warm smiles they were each giving her made her even more curious.

"No, but it's very nice to meet you, Rukia. You can call me Orihime," Orihime beamed while Chad shook his head.

Rukia had a feeling Uryu wasn't able to concentrate enough on what Ichigo had said to even recognize the need for a response. Orihime was still bouncing around. Rukia didn't think girls that could be that jiggly should be bouncing around like that at all. He looked like he was just a few more bounces away from a gushing nose bleed. Rukia smiled.

"Mizuiro set Keigo up on a blind date with one of his girlfriends' friends. They're coming later. I guess Mizuiro had to pick up his girlfriend from the university, so they decided to go out for dinner beforehand with their dates," Orihime continued after her interlude of excited bouncing.

"I hope that Keigo doesn't scare this one away too," Chad lamented.

"Yeah, it would be horrible if Mizuro left the dance with two dates. We'd have to listen to Keigo whine about it for weeks," Ichigo groaned, while Chad and Uryu nodded solemnly in agreement.

"Oh, sorry, I was ah... distracted before, but it's nice to meet you, Rukia," Uryu added a late response.

Rukia noticed that it wasn't just Orihime deciding to call her Rukia.

"I see you're fashionably late. It's like you've been subconsciously conditioned to spend as little time as possible with your dates," chimed a tough looking girl with short, dark hair.

The girl walked up and stood with her hands on her hips, obviously more comfortable in something other than a semi-formal dress. Ichigo coughed and pointedly shifted his eyes from Tatsuki to Rukia and back, tipping his head to the side towards Rukia for emphasis. Rukia felt his hand on her back slide a bit farther to rest on her hip.

"What? Oh. Oh. Oh! You're obviously here with Ichigo, and I just said... I'm sorry. Let's forget what I just said. I'm Arisawa Tatsuki. You must be Rukia," Tatsuki embarrassedly apologized to Rukia.

"Arisawa, have we met before?" Rukia inquired.

She was curious as to how the girl knew her name in the first place, let alone decided they were on a first name basis. Maybe she could figure out what Ichigo had told them about her.

"Call me Tatsuki. And no, I just heard about you from Ichigo. I knew he was bringing you but kind of forgot and put my foot in my mouth. Usually Ichigo ditches whoever his date is the minute he gets to things like this, so I just automatically assumed you hadn't come with him."

"Hey!" Ichigo interjected.

"We didn't think that Ichigo would be able to get you to come," added Orihime. "I was kind of surprised to see you too, actually."

"Hey!" Ichigo gumbled, scowling at their underestimation of him, not to mention their telling Rukia.

"You see, I didn't recognize you from any classes, so for a moment I thought he had gotten a last minute date out of desperation from some unsuspecting girl wandering by the school after you turned him down," Tatsuki said.

"Hey! I would even never do that!" protested Ichigo.

Orihime ignored him and continued the conversation with Rukia, grabbing her hands in her own. Rukia smiled, at a loss for what to say. Rukia recalled Momo saying that his friends knew about the bet, but they couldn't possibly. His friends made it sound like Ichigo was some guy that was nervous to ask her on a date. Rukia tried not to think about how Ichigo had pulled her in closer momentarily and how much she had liked it, when she remembered him specifically mentioning that she wouldn't be his date earlier.

"We'll have to talk later. Our things are already staking our claim on that table over there with the orange (like Ichigo's hair) gladiola centerpiece, and we saved you two seats. Since we were on our way to the dance floor, why don't you two settle in and then join us?"

"We need to hurry up. I requested my favorite song. It should be up any minute now. I want to be on the dance floor when they play it. Ah! It's starting to play now!" Tatsuki spoke in hyper-speed, releasing pent up energy from the workout she had skipped to get ready earlier this evening.

As she spoke, she shoved a reluctant Chad towards the dance floor. It would have been easier for him to stand his ground if he hadn't been surprised by Tatsuki's uncharacteristic enthusiasm for something like a song and if Tatsuki hadn't used what felt like lethal force. Rukia saw her grab the wrist of a girl that she didn't recognize with her free hand, before she turned back to Orihime.

"That sounds perfect, Tatsuki! Oh, and, Rukia, you look so beautiful in that dress! It's just like we thought!" added Orihime with a giant smile.

Rukia was stunned and only stared back wide-eyed. For a moment Rukia felt like she was genuinely friends with these girls and on a legitimate date to a dance. Why were they being so nice to her? They seemed to know who she was, but hadn't Ichigo told them about the bet? Wait, Orihime just said something weird when she complimented her dress. Maybe they knew Momo, and she could have spoken with them while Rukia took her nap.

"Doesn't she?" Ichigo muttered and smiled.

At first, Rukia only looked at the floor, surprised and blushing uncontrollably at his comment. Then she felt giddy and couldn't help but grin right back at Orihime. That was clearly, definitely, unmistakably a compliment this time!

"Orihime, let's catch up with Tatsuki and Chad," Uryu suggested, suddenly looking nervous.

"Make sure you get Ichigo onto the dance floor. He doesn't usually dance, but maybe _you_ can convince him," Orihime exclaimed and gave Rukia a knowing smile, as Uryu started to tug her after Tatsuki and Chad.

She couldn't wait to talk with Orihime later. This was just like with Momo earlier. Maybe Momo had been right when she insinuated that this wasn't just a bet to torture Rukia. This didn't feel like any torture she had ever imagined.

Turning to face Rukia, Ichigo said, "I should have told you about my friends on the way here, sorry."

He brought his hand up to awkwardly scratch his head. Rukia nodded and sighed, shivering involuntarily at the loss of his warm hand on her back. It was much easier not to constantly think about her possible feelings for Ichigo that don't actually exist without him touching her.

"Just don't forget again! What now?" Rukia asked, before regaining the tone she usually took with Ichigo. "You made it clear on the way here that I'm not your date. If you're thinking about dragging me onto the dance floor right now, you can forget it."

Ichigo just stared into her glaring eyes for a moment before nervously changing the subject. He could have sworn that she had been nice a moment ago. Maybe it was just an act to make his friends think she didn't beat him up and verbally abuse him. Then again, he preferred this Rukia to a weirdly nice Rukia any day.

"Why don't I go grab us both some punch and meet you at the table Tatsuki pointed at?"

"You already made it clear I'm not your date. Don't you want _me_ to get punch for _you_ or something? Isn't that why I'm here?"

"Definitely not. You can sure be dense for a smart girl," Ichigo said with a smile, heading toward the refreshments.

Idiot! She wasn't dense! It was like she was in a bizarre alternate universe, and it was all his fault if she was confused – which she definitely was not! That strawberry just didn't make sense. Rukia turned to look at Ichigo already ladling the first cup of punch, shook her head, and started to make her way across the room to the table with orange gladiolas with a smile. Alternate universe or not, Ichigo had said she looked nice. It was a compliment!

Weaving through tables, Rukia glanced around at the other girls, wishing that she had a close group of girl friends for the first time. Actually, one close friend to help her figure out what was going on in her head and with Ichigo would be great. She could tell this friend about her night and how she somehow felt like a princess in spite of the idiot that brought her. She secretly hoped that a guy, even Kurosaki Ichigo, would take her to a dance like this without a stupid bet.

She thought of her dream prince. She imagined Ichigo coming back with the punch only to take her hand, lead her to the dance floor, and make it clear that he wanted her with him as his date tonight. Rukia cursed Momo for putting the idea into her head. Hell, she would settle for just that feeling of having friends she had when she met Ichigo's friends a moment ago, let alone falling in love with someone amazing who isn't Ichigo and who would actually love her in return.

Lost in thoughts she didn't even know she could have, Rukia made her way toward the table with orange gladiolas. She started to look forward to running into Momo later. Maybe Momo, Orihime, or Tatsuki could be that friend for Rukia. Maybe they would all get together later and talk about their night. Unfortunately, a table of the girls like the ones that Rukia had been envying actually were talking about Rukia's night.

"I can't believe she has the nerve to throw herself at him like that."

"You said it, Eriko! She is so pathetic it's disgusting. It's like she's forgotten that she's only here as his slave – part of that bet her supposed friend made. You are definitely the only girl that should be around him for more than just a Friday date."

"Exactly. He's mine. Oh, good work overhearing those freaky tattooed guys talking earlier today, Maki," Eriko replied with a smug smile.

"You're welcome! I always like to keep my ears open while I'm making out with a guy I normally wouldn't be seen in public with anyway," Maki replied cooly.

"I think that everything we've done so far hasn't gotten the message through to her. You would think that the perfume would have at least had an impact! I guess we'll just have to put her in her place, again," Eriko mock-lamented with an evil grin.

"You know, that guy you allowed to bring you to the dance tonight just brought over an entire carafe of punch for us," Keiko said to Eriko with a smile.

Flipping her curled locks over her shoulder, the blond stalked towards an oblivious Rukia, swerving to hit Rukia's shoulder with hers and tipping her full glass of punch onto Rukia's head as she pretended to stumble. Eriko had Keiko following right behind her and pretending to stumble right after she stopped short with her own stumble in order to dump the entire carafe onto Rukia's shoulders.

"Oh, my!" Eriko exclaimed, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth.

At the exclamation, Rukia looked up in horror. It was Eriko – again.

"You should watch where you're going. You even made Keiko spill our carafe. Now I'm going to need a fresh drink. You should fetch it for me like the pathetic puppy you are," she sneered. "Or do I have to make a bet first?"

Rukia felt the red punch start to soak through her dress, in addition to the cold rivulets she felt running down her back and chest. She was stunned. Everything had been so close to perfect just a moment ago. Now, her reality came crashing back and all she could do was stand in front of the girls with wide, shocked eyes that were starting to narrow. She wanted to make Eriko apologize and knew she was capable, but she couldn't be that girl anymore.

"Hey! What did you do to Rukia you bottle-blond hag?!"

Tatsuki suddenly appeared face to face with Eriko. Even though Eriko had at least a couple inches of height on Tatsuki and a group of friends that had swooped in to support her, Tatsuki made them all shrink back.

"Quit being jealous and torturing anyone that Ichigo actually thinks _is _worth spending any time with! You're so ugly on the inside that you don't stand a chance next to Rukia," Tatsuki continued. "Give up already!"

Orihime and another strawberry blonde with breasts that made Orihime look flat chested had been a couple steps behind Tatsuki and now stood to either side of Rukia.

"Tatsuki can handle _that_, so let's get you cleaned up," Orihime said with a comforting smile, guiding Rukia off to the side of the sparking confrontation between Tatsuki and Eriko.

Orihime pulled a fancy hand embroidered handkerchief from her purse and started cleaning the punch off of a still stunned Rukia, while the other girl pulled napkins from a nearby table to help.

"What's going on?" Rukia squeaked, shocked.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Tatsuki enjoys it. Are you alright, Rukia? You might be a little sticky, but we'll do our best," Orihime gave Rukia a concerned smile with a wink. "Lucky you decided to wear black."

"B-b-but I .....he ... we ..." Eriko started before Tatsuki cut her off with a growl.

"What? He doesn't like you; just move on and stop spreading rumors to make it look like more happened between the two of you than an awkward dinner! He didn't even try to kiss you, let alone sleep with you! If you weren't so pathetic, I'd kick your ass and make you sorry you ever forced him into even wasting his time with dinner in the first place!"

Tatsuki smiled, as Eriko obviously couldn't withstand her brutal honesty any longer. Eriko balled her hands into fists at her sides and stomped her foot.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Arisawa! He _cannot_ want to spend time with _her _over me_. _Stop trying to tell me what to do, because you're just jealous of how beautiful and feminine I am!"

With that, Eriko spun around on her heel and motioned for her lackeys to follow her.

"That's crap! Shove it, Hamada! And stay away from Rukia!" Tatsuki called after her.

Then, Tatsuki turned around to face Rukia, her anger replaced with concern. It looked to Rukia like Tatsuki had been itching to throw a punch at Eriko. Tatsuki sighed wistfully.

"It feels just as good every time. I don't think anyone ever talks to her like that, but you would think she'd get the message after a few months at least."

"What just happened? I mean, thank you," Rukia finally snapped out of her daze. Did these girls really come to her rescue? "Why did you even..."

"There we go! You might be a bit damp, but I bet no one will be able to tell you were just covered in punch with the lighting in here. Oh, you know, I don't think I even know who you are! I just saw Orihime and Tatsuki run to your rescue and didn't think about not helping out. Any friend of Tatsuki and Orihime is a friend of mine! I'm Rangiku by the way; Orihime and I are roommates."

"Oh. I'm Rukia. It's nice to meet you," Rukia replied, still flabbergasted about the entire situation. "You see, Ichigo..."

"Ichigo brought you! You must be _that _Rukia, although I don't think I know even one other Rukia."

"Well, yeah, but..." Rukia tried.

"You know, all the punch we couldn't clean off of you is going to make you taste pretty good. I bet Ichigo won't mind at all," Rangiku said with a sly wink.

"What!? No!" Rukia squeaked again, not believing what she just heard the girl say and trying not to really think about what she implied.

"Rangiku, don't say stuff like that to Rukia. You're going to scare her off," said Tatsuki.

"Oh, Tatsuki, don't be such a prude," said Rangiku, pouting at Tatsuki before turning to Rukia with a giant smile. "Ah! Rukia, you are going to come shopping with us tomorrow before the party. You might not need a new outfit, but it would be more fun if you had one. Any excuse for shopping, right?"

Rukia just blinked at Rangiku. She slowly looked with wide eyes at each one of the girls smiling at her.

"Party?" Rukia questioned, feeling as if she had no choice but to succumb.

"Ichigo is definitely coming, so I'm sure he is already planning on bringing you," Orihime encouraged. "I've never seen him smile so much as he has the past two weeks!"

Rukia noted that Orihime seemed to sound happy and sad at the same time but didn't really think about it. She didn't know her well enough to know what it meant.

"Umm, that sounds great – both shopping and the party," Rukia couldn't help but grin.

How did she go from getting punch poured on her to getting invited shopping and to a party? She wondered if these girls knew that Ichigo was only to bring her along because of a bet. Ichigo had told them about her, but she had no idea what he had actually told them. It sounded like they either didn't know about the bet or had some crazy interpretation of what the bet actually was, especially Rangiku.

Rukia's gaze followed Tatsuki's, as she seemed to be watching something with a frown. Ichigo strode up with two glasses of punch and a concerned scowl on his face. Rukia was starting to notice that it seemed like Ichigo's standard scowl subtly changed with his moods. He glanced at each of his friends with his gaze ending on Rukia and sighed.

"What happened, Tatsuki? Rukia, are you alright?"

"Well, your stalker decided to pour some punch on Rukia, so we had to put her in her place. Eriko was probably just jealous. Orihime and Rangiku even have Rukia cleaned up already. Where were you anyways?" Tatsuki instantly turned the explanation into a guilt trip for Ichigo, who immediately looked away and scratched his head guiltily.

"I got tied up by some guys that remembered me from your karate tournament last weekend on my way back from the punch bowl."

"Was what they were saying really that interesting?"

"Uh, well, they were actually begging me to introduce you to them, because they're afraid of you after seeing what you can do. "

"Did you tell them how I used to kick your ass!"

"No way! Anyway, then I saw you standing over here with Rukia when they pointed at you, even though your favorite song is... was still playing. I had a bad feeling when I saw that psycho stomping off."

"I guess I'll go give those guys an autograph or whatever," Tatsuki said reluctantly. "Rangiku, can you come with me?"

"Sure. Orihime and I will both run interference for you, in case they're all freaky or something."

"We'll catch up with you later, Rukia," Tatsuki said with a smile.

"Yeah, it was nice to meet you. I'd say good luck, but I don't think you're going to need it," Rangiku said to Rukia with a wink before turning to her roommate. "Let's help out Tatsuki and get back to the dance floor, Orihime!"

Ichigo turned toward Rukia and nudged her with his elbow and mumbled, "Sorry. Well, let's get over to the table."

"Hey, don't elbow me, you jerk!"

"Hey! I barely touched you, and you should be one to talk. You beat me all the time for no reason, midget," Ichigo shouted at her, appalled.

"But I just had a traumatic experience, no thanks to you," Rukia hissed back.

Rukia wasn't really mad and didn't really consider what just happened a traumatic experience but saying that wouldn't have been any fun at all. Ichigo had two sisters and knew better than to accuse her of not looking traumatized.

"I was getting you punch!"

"I never asked for punch. Oh, and I have plans with Rangiku tomorrow, so don't even think about making me do your bidding."

Ichigo just scowled at her, as she patiently waited for his reply with a smile.

*******

A/N: Again, thanks to everyone that responded in any way to my story. When I posted Chapter 1, I was just crossing my fingers that it just wouldn't suck too badly. I'm so happy that I'm baking of my own free will. I'd give everyone some of what will be cinnamon rolls if I could. Drosophillia Melangaster was totally right when he said reviews motivate you to write. Oh, if I don't confirm or deny something in a review, it's probably for reason of not wanting to give (or not give) anything away, knowing it will come up soon anyway. Should I be PMing back instead? I'm kind of new at this.

Drosophillia Melangaster - No one was sitting with them in Chapter 4; I just thought it would be funny to imagine them eating lunch like that and being clueless as to it being odd. Actually, Renji and Shuuhei are really that clueless about the bet. More info is given in the next two chapters.

anaime7 - Yes, this is my first fanfic ever. I cringed when I read what you wrote about the Orihime-Rukia switch, but I appreciate you saying it, so I can be more aware. It's been pretty hard to come up with the plot and then try to avoid lots of OOCness. Rukia has a bit more going on in her head then revealed in chapters 4/5 that I hope will help give you more of a "well, if Rukia had to go though that, she could reasonably have reacted that way" reaction. I knew writing it that the whole inadequacy thing could be blatantly Orihime-ish, but I think I can make it work for Rukia. Let me know.

mistdreams - I take your admitted obsession as a huge compliment. I don't think I'll do flashbacks, I do promise that more info on what's happening now will be revealed through future dialogue though. Also, I fixed that line in Chapter 5; sorry. I reworded some of that paragraph at the last minute and don't know how I messed it up there but not in the copy on my hard drive. I must have totally jinxed myself in the author note.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I still don't own Bleach.

**CHAPTER SEVEN – posted 5/29**

She was still thinking about spending the day tomorrow with what she hoped could be her new friends. Was it possible that these girls didn't know anything about the bet? Why else would they defend her like that and assume Ichigo would have her go to some party with him? Would they still be friends with her if they didn't know and then found out?

Suddenly, Rukia was jolted from her thoughts, as she felt her body lurch forward. Ichigo tightly gripped Rukia's hand, as he made his way to the table, maneuvering smoothly between the tables and chairs. He abruptly stopped and looked at her with a serious face that made Rukia a little nervous.

"Rukia, I really am sorry about that. Since I brought you here and all, I feel like I should have kept a better eye on you. You're so troublesome. I mean, not that I mind or anything."

Instead of responding Rukia yanked her hand from his, as if she had just realized he had been holding onto it and was appalled. She looked down at her hand and, then, looked up at him and blinked. Ichigo sighed as he looked down at the punch in his other hand, averting his eyes, putting his free hand in his pocket.

"Hey, how did I only end up with one cup of punch? I guess you should just have it."

Ichigo moved the cup towards Rukia, expecting her to take it. She just looked at Ichigo and then at the cup of punch. They were both just standing maybe five feet from their table with orange gladiolas and staring at the cup of punch in Ichigo's hand.

The Ichigo she'd spent time with the past two weeks was nothing like the suave womanizer he was supposed to be. When Rukia thought about it, he hadn't been anything like his reputation. Then, she lamented that it was probably due to him not finding her worth using his wiles.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Rukia asked, sounding sadder than she'd wanted and still staring at the punch in order to keep from looking at Ichigo.

Ichigo huffed and continued as if he hadn't heard her disbelieving interjection and known full well that she wasn't referring to the punch at all. It had been hard enough to say in the first place, when he wasn't really sure what she was thinking. Her reaction unnerved him, and he fought not to let it show – too much. Ichigo obviously and awkwardly tried to change the subject.

"I don't know when I set down the other cup of punch. Maybe I just dropped it back there or something," Ichigo answered. "I said I'd get you punch, so I'll just get another one for myself later."

Rukia quickly glanced over. She noticed Ichigo looking in the other direction, sporting his usual scowl again. Was he trying to distract her or actually that concerned about the one cup of punch situation?

"You mean you aren't going to suggest that we share?"

"I'd rather have my own, if you don't mind."

"But you'd have to go all the way back to the punch bowl. I don't know. This is a pretty big cup of punch," Rukia suggested, looking up at Ichigo.

"It's not enough for both of us," said Ichigo with a deepening scowl.

"Well, I don't even want that much, so there's actually plenty for both of us, unless you'd like to chug the entire cup right now, strawberry."

Ichigo considered downing the punch just to win but, given the situation, didn't think his stomach could handle all the bright red sugar water. He kind of liked arguing with Rukia anyway.

"Yeah, I guess there is technically enough for both of us, but I'm still not sharing."

This didn't seem to be turning into a well executed change of subject for Ichigo. He started to have second thoughts about just having drunk the punch.

"Then what's the problem, idiot? Don't you want to share with me? You're hurting my feelings."

Ichigo met her challenging eyes for a moment before sighing and answering.

"Well, you just don't share well, so I'd rather just go get another one for myself. It's not like I think you have cooties or something."

Rukia narrowed her eyes and glared at Ichigo. He knew that glare. His eyes widened and flicked quickly to her feet, fulling expecting one to connect with his shin.

"I don't want punch anyway and wouldn't share with _you_ if my life depended on it. And I share very well, thank you!" Rukia said, crossing her arms and looking away defiantly.

"What?! You just made a big deal about how I should share with you and stuff! What's wrong with you? Why did you even bring it up, midget?"

Ichigo felt his eye twitch in annoyance, as he tried to keep his voice down. They were in the middle of a crowded ballroom.

"Well, I didn't really care about the punch at all, but now I know you think I don't know how to share. I can't believe you think I'm so selfish that I couldn't even share a meaningless glass of punch! You're such a jerk!"

"What!? You tricked me!"

She briefly turned back cast Ichigo a lengthy glare. He couldn't believe how horribly his change of subject had backfired. In his mind, she took the cup of punch thankfully and smiled, maybe even noted the thoughtfulness of the gesture.

"Eh, it doesn't really matter," said Rukia dismissively, before moving in for the kill. "I had asked about you not minding and keeping an eye on me anyway. Now, since when do I need anyone looking after me? I'm not some pathetic, helpless girl that, apparently, doesn't know how to share. I could take care of myself if I wanted."

Even though she'd said that she didn't care about the offering of punch, she was secretly basking in the feeling that he was going to let her have the only surviving cup of punch, like he was handing her a prize. She inwardly smiled at how she was able to turn the tables on him so easily and prevent him from possibly avoiding the prior subject.

Rukia wanted to make sure that she heard correctly before – that Ichigo was telling her in a roundabout way that he felt the need to protect her. She eagerly watched Ichigo nervously scratch his head. It was getting hard for her to look at him and pretend to be mad when she was desperate to know if he could even maybe a little bit have feelings for her.

"Oh. Ah, well, it's not that you're like a greedy little kid or anything. It's just that those girls wouldn't have pulled that with me next to you, so I should have been with you. I should have made you come with me to get the punch. At least we would've ended up with two cups that way."

"I can take care of myself you know. I don't need you to protect me, Ichigo!" Rukia snapped, unsatisfied. "And you bet your ass we would have two cups if I'd been there!"

She felt like her usual self all of a sudden. Rukia dramatically stomped the last few feet to the table ahead of Ichigo. She practically threw a chair back from the table and flung herself into the seat, trying not to smile. Sighing, Rukia lifted and examined the hand Ichigo had been holding on the way over, as if she expected to find something different about it all of a sudden.

"Obviously," Ichigo scoffed, sitting down himself.

"Yeah, you never do anything right, and you somehow managed to lose the cup of punch you had a moment ago in the last five feet to the table too," sighed Rukia.

"No! I didn't mean the punch. I don't care about the punch. I meant that it's obvious you _could _take care of yourself, but you shouldn't have to."

"Well, you said yourself that it was all your fault anyways! I would have been fine if I'd been on my own, idiot," she blurted.

Rukia crossed her arms and stared at all the happy couples on the dance floor. She hated herself for ruining her chance to find out exactly what he meant, but it did feel better to be arguing again. Arguing was safe. Arguing didn't give her shivers and stomach butterflies. Arguing was familiar. Arguing couldn't make her like him and leave her guessing.

"That doesn't make sense. Maybe I should have brought another date after all. Then you would be too busy getting us punch to be such a pain in the ass."

Rukia narrowed her eyes at his frustrating attempt to annoy her and get in the last word. She couldn't believe he just said that when she was sitting here wondering if he liked her. No one could be a bigger asshat than Kurosaki Ichigo. Kuchiki Rukia would _not_ waste time pinning over any guy.

"Maybe I'd be a lot friendlier if I didn't just have – well, actually it's still have – punch down the front of my dress and in my panties from your jealous fan girls! This is your own fault for sleeping around and not cleaning up your own messes!"

Rukia shifted uncomfortably, having brought her own attention to her soggy underpants and sticky torso. It didn't sound embarrassing until she heard herself say it out loud. She was consciously admitting to herself that she somehow started liking Ichigo and was covered in punch – perfect evening!

"Like I care about what's going on with your panties," Ichigo grumbled.

A vivid blush accompanied his angry scowl at the mention of the location of the punch. Red-faced, they both shifted uncomfortably, not looking at each other. Then Ichigo's eyebrow started twitching in annoyance.

"Wait, did you say _sleeping around_?" said Ichigo, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes! Wait, did you say _another_ date?" Rukia squeaked with widening eyes.

Ichigo's eyes widened in tandem, as he realized exactly what he said and what she said and that he was going to have to explain both. Momo walked up with a shorter than average guy with white spiky hair and a tired look on his face to save Ichigo from providing an answer.

"Rukia! I didn't think I would see you two together," Momo took a moment to giggle and wink suggestively, "as soon as we got here. Hello, Ichigo. It's good to see you again."

"Momo!" Rukia exclaimed happily.

"Oh, hey there, Momo. You look nice tonight. Toshiro, how did the dinner with your dad go? What did it end up being about?" Ichigo inquired.

"Well, it was actually my parents _and_ my grandfather. It ended up being an awful, never ending discussion about how I was going to continue the Hitsugaya legacy by working alongside my father while I'm at university. He's going to become head of the facility when my grandfather retires in a couple years and wants me to be at his side, as he was at my grandfather's. You know what I mean."

"Huh. I think that I might be able to relate to that on some level," said Ichigo with a sympathetic smile.

Rukia rolled her eyes. It was hard for her to believe Ichigo would be able to relate to being anything other than the prodigal son of his family. She didn't know anything about his family but couldn't imagine him doing anything that would require manners.

"It's like they're more obsessed with my future than ever," Hitsugaya Toshiro complained.

"How do you three know each other? Momo is my roommate," Rukia asked.

She tried to make sense of how she suddenly seemed to be the odd one out when she had thought Momo would save her from Ichigo, not that she really felt she needed saving at the moment. Instead, both Momo and her boyfriend seemed to be in league with her supposed tormentor. Something she heard earlier tugged at the corner of her mind.

"I told you all of this already. I guess you were zoning out more than I thought you were while I was doing your hair earlier. Hey, would you mind coming with me to the toilet, Rukia?"

"Umm, of course, Momo," Rukia replied, finally recalling her having said her boyfriend was Ichigo's roommate.

"We need to have girl talk, so you can tell me what I've missed so far," Momo said, while dragging Rukia away.

It was never like this with Renji or Shuuhei. Sure, she was here with Ichigo and had panties damp with punch ( a significant portion of the punch exploited the low cut of the back of her dress), but this was somehow starting to feel like one of the best nights of her life. Rukia and Momo made their way through the maze of tables. Rukia started to feel the uncharacteristic urge to giggle.

"Now that they can't hear us... how do you like Toshiro? Isn't he wonderful?"

"Well, I just met him, but he seems really nice."

"And he's really smart too. He skipped a grade at the beginning of high school. He's definitely my perfect man. Life in general feels better whenever he's around."

No wonder he was so short, thought Rukia. She realized that she wasn't one to talk, him being a few inches taller. Momo must like younger guys, she mused. Then, she started to imagine what her own perfect man would be like.

"The perfect man, huh?" mumbled Rukia, trying not the think about Ichigo and focus on touching up her make-up.

"Speaking of the perfect man, I have a movie we should watch sometime. Toshiro is tired of always being the one to watch it with me. It's a stupid movie, but I love it. We'll have a girls' night in."

"That sounds great. I'd like that."

"And I see that Ichigo got you a corsage. You know, he had Toshiro ask me to call and tell him the color of your dress so it would match."

"Wait ... Ichigo did that?" Rukia looked at Momo as if she'd grown a second head.

Momo just gave Rukia a Cheshire grin.

"Well, I guess he didn't want to buy something ridiculous and then have to be seen with me all night," Rukia rationalized glumly. "Hey, these girls that Ichigo is friends with invited me shopping tomorrow and to a party. They're assuming Ichigo will have me go with him to the party, but I don't know."

"Oh, do you mean Orihime, Tatsuki, and Rangiku? That is going to be so fun. Just be careful. I don't know if you remember, but I had gone shopping with Rangiku the time I came home and was barely able to set my bags down before I keeled over on my bed with jelly legs."

"How long were you shopping!?" gasped Rukia.

"I think it was an entire day, but it's all kind of blurry. I still can't figure out when I bought that racy lingerie."

"Racy lingerie? I can't buy stuff like that, let alone _any_ lingerie."

Momo shrugged.

"Maybe it will be easier with Tatsuki there, since she's more like a tomboy and will keep Rangiku in line for her own sake. Who would have thought that my moody Toshiro grew up right next door to such a crazy girl like Rangiku! Her mom used to be a beautiful, famous actress, you know."

"I can see that. So, are you going to be at this party tomorrow night too, Momo?"

"I think Toshiro has something else planned for tomorrow night, but this party is supposed to be _the _party to attend. I bet you will have tons of fun, especially with those girls. They really know how to have a good time." Momo smiled.

"I guess..."

"Oh! I got sidetracked. I had wanted to drag you off so I can get all the juicy details on your evening so far. Did Ichigo confess his undying love to you yet?"

Rukia was still apprehensive about admitting to anyone that she wanted to know if Ichigo intended to invite her to the party tomorrow night, if Ichigo liked her. She had barely just started admitting it to herself.

"Well, aside from meeting Ichigo's friends, this girl with long blonde hair – Hamada Eriko, I think – poured what felt like a gallon of punch all over my dress. I think my panties are still going to be wet with punch when the dance is over. It's a good thing I chose the black dress, huh?" said Rukia, cringing at the memory.

"Hamada did _what_ to you?" Momo exclaimed in shock.

"I don't really want to think about it. But Orihime, Tatsuki, and Rangiku ran to my defense and helped me look presentable again. Other than that all I've really done is have an argument with Ichigo. He was being so nice to me I'm kind of relieved that we argued."

"Of course Ichigo was nice to you, but, again, Hamada did _what_? Ugh, Toshiro told me all about that psycho stalker. At the end of last year Ichigo took her to dinner, because she wouldn't leave him alone about going on a date with her. She bothered him for months. He told Toshiro it was the most horrible and awkward dinner he's even had to sit though. I guess he feigned a stomach ache before dessert so he could get out of there _and_ have an excuse not to have to kiss her goodnight. He's too much of a gentleman to climb out a bathroom window," Momo snickered.

Rukia was stunned at the new information. She thought Ichigo took girls on dates with the sole reason of getting them into bed. This scenario didn't sound anything like the Eriko losing her virginity to Ichigo at the end of a beautifully romantic date where a relationship was only impossible due to the onset of summer vacation rumor that she had heard.

"Toshiro told me that Ichigo never even holds hands with the girls he takes out, let alone sleeps with them."

"But that's not what I heard," Rukia said, while trying to nonchalantly adjust her panties.

"I can't believe you've spent two weeks around him and haven't figured out he's not that suave. He's never even kissed a girl before, Rukia! Toshiro told me in confidence that he's liked this one girl _forever_ and doesn't want to kiss anyone but her – ever. How romantic!"

Momo put a hand to her forehead in a mock-swoon.

"That doesn't sound like the truth at all, Momo."

Rukia's chest ached, as she tried to imagine who the girl Ichigo was in love with would be, what she would be like. Rukia blushed wishing it was her, suppressing the urge to ask Momo who she thought Ichigo liked.

"Oh, don't look so disappointed, Rukia. Maybe if you just ditch those obviously uncomfortable panties you could convince Ichigo to tell you who he's in love with. I'm positive I've guess who it is already," Momo said with a sly smile.

"Definitely not! I'm not the kind of girl that would do something like that, especially with Ichigo! He probably doesn't even like me that way. Don't accuse me of being willing to do something like that when _you_ probably have on that racy lingerie you bought with Rangiku!"

"I can't believe you! And of course I do," Momo managed to say between uncontrollable giggles. "Once you try it, it's kind of addicting, even if no one but you knows you even own it."

"I don't think so. There's no way I could ever wear something like that, let alone actually like it," Rukia said before pausing and continuing in a more serious tone. "Momo, I have something to confess. I think that I really do like Ichigo, and I dont' know what to do!"

Rukia blurted out before hiding her face behind her hands, waiting for Momo to laugh at her. Instead, she felt Momo wrap an arm around her and pull her into a hug.

"Are you okay? You do know that you just confessed to me and not Ichigo, right?" Momo asked.

"Momo, I'm sorry for needing so much help. I ... well ... I'm just .... I guess that I'm sorry and want us to stay friends like this. It's nice. I just don't know what to do sometimes with this whole friends thing," Rukia grinned nervously at Momo.

"Yeah, I think that you definitely have a major crush on Ichigo and have gone all loopy. But loopy is definitely an improvement. I've never seen you smile so much," Momo said with certainty and a playful seriousness.

Momo saw the glare on Rukia's face and erupted into giggles.

"Rukia, it really _is_ okay to let yourself like him. Now that we're friends, I have something to confess too," Momo said.

Momo suddenly getting serious made Rukia worry. She feared that Momo was about to tell her something horrible, like how the bet _really_ _was_ a cruel joke all along.

"Ichigo didn't just have Toshiro call me about the corsage. He actually came to see me _personally_ to give me money to buy you whatever you would need to go with the dress before I went shopping for myself. Ichigo looked kind of nervous when he asked too. I think that bringing you here tonight just might be the first time that he's asked a girl on a date."

Rukia stared at Momo in shock and disbelief. Momo only sighed, exasperated, thinking anyone related to _the_ Kuchiki Byakuya should be a little more sure of herself. Then, she remembered how long it had taken Toshiro to confess to her and how awkward Ichigo could be sometimes. It was no wonder Rukia was such a mess.

"But he didn't ask me anything and I... I... I don't even know if this _is _a date or not!"

"Oh goodness, Rukia. I think you should just calm down. There's probably only time for Toshiro and I to dance once before everything is over. You should just go find Ichigo and stop worrying about whether or not this is a date or whether or not he likes you. I have a feeling that this will all work itself out anyway. Just act like you normally would around him, okay?"

Rukia nodded and tried to steel her nerves. That sounded like good advice. No one except Momo and herself needed to know how she felt. It wasn't as if she had ever intended to confess to Ichigo in the first place.

******

A/N: Thanks (again) for all the reviews. I've really appreciated each one (critical or encouraging). I'm pretty critical of myself to begin with, so they have been such a big help, especially for my first story. The plot is starting to really open up in the next few chapters, so I'm getting pretty nervous. I write a good research paper but never thought I could write decent fiction. At Fathom-x's suggestion, I've also enabled anonymous reviews on a trial basis, although I like looking at the profiles and stories of my reviewers. I've found some awesome stories to read that way :)

Anyway, Sorry that this chapter was a little short and a little more chapter 4-ish then you guys would probably prefer, but I think that my next chapter will make up for it. I know that Rukia usually seems to have it all together, but I think it only makes it more likely that she would be such a mess at this point. Right? I'm happy that I can keep everyone from totally guessing every nuance of the plot already.

xikaui -- I haven't totally decided on whether or not I'm going to introduce a rival(s) yet. I have what could be foreshadowing of such a twist in the next few chapters though, because I wanted to give myself the option. I told Ichi-Ruki4Ever that I might continue the plot in a seperate story, which is what I'm leaning towards. That story would be where any rivals would come in. This story has already gotten _way _longer than any story I thought I was even capable of writing when I started.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

**CHAPTER** **EIGHT – posted 06/02**

Rukia's legs twitched nervously as she bit her lip, sitting on the edge of Rangiku's bed, listening to the girls eagerly chatter about the approaching party – who they wanted to dance with, how much they were or weren't going to drink, and other gossipy things. Occasionally, she would nod and smile. Talking had been so easy earlier, but she just couldn't seem to relax and join in anymore. Kuchikis do not have nervous twitches; she needed to get a hold of herself!

Thankfully the girls hadn't brought up Ichigo during the shopping trip, but now Rukia didn't trust herself to say anything after her uncharacteristic outburst with Momo last night. It was like her brain had imploded. Retrospectively, she was mortified and damn lucky Momo had checked for feet in all the stalls. At first, Momo had sounded just like Hisana when she was talking about love at first sight and her perfect man. Rukia had kept herself together better when Hisana died.

Rukia just felt like she was coming unglued, years of Kuchiki conditioning and self-ingrained stoicism out the window. Tatsuki had instructed her to wait for Ichigo to pick her up, so she literally sat and waited, concentrating on sending her emotions below and sealing them off. Orihime had called and told him that he would have to pick Rukia up from Rangiku's room. Did he even have a choice after that phone call? She wasn't sure if Ichigo planned to take her to the party all along or if Orihime had somehow coerced him.

Rukia really didn't understand how everything suddenly started to seem like a huge conspiracy just out of her grasp. She had lain awake for hours last night thinking about it and thinking about Ichigo. This could be their second date for all Rukia knew. Of course, that was assuming Momo had been right about the dance in the first place. The dance where she hadn't even ended up dancing with Ichigo. Who would really be expected to know anything when the stupid strawberry didn't actually ask?

Earlier that day the girls had materialized in her room, dragging her off to so many stores that Rukia lost track. It was all such a whirlwind that Rukia wasn't sure how and when she bought the outfit she was wearing at the moment. She didn't even remember opening her purse to pay at any point. Rangiku told her that she had good taste but that she needed to 'play up her assets' a little more. Rukia felt exposed, yet miraculously still conservatively dressed compared to Rangiku.

Not only did the boots make her feel like she was always standing on tip toe, but the shirt was something she would never wear – let alone think about buying – on her own. She had on a brown knee length pencil skirt, mid-calf dark brown leather boots, and a tight sleeveless top in deep violet trimmed with a slight ruffle along the wrap style neckline. It didn't have a collar per se, but the part by her neck naturally laid close to create a faux elongated keyhole effect.

She was afraid to find out what it would have been like without Tatsuki along to keep Rangiku in check. Every single store clerk had recognized Rangiku and greeted her by name. The shopping trip was everything Momo had warned about, except for the jelly legs. At some point Rukia bought the only lingerie she'd ever come into contact with; it was very, very lacy. Rangiku must have sensed her moment of distraction, swooping in to "fix" Rukia's make up while she had been distracted, looking down her own shirt.

Orihime enveloped Rukia with a seemingly unnecessary cloud of hairspray the moment Rangiku backed away. At least she didn't use aerosol, Rukia thought. She stumbled out of the cloud of hairspray coughing, only to run straight into Ichigo's chest. Embarrassed, she hoped girls were often caught in such situations. Tatsuki must have let him in. She hoped they hadn't been there for more than a minute at most. Right outside the door were Uryu, Chad, Keigo, and Mizuiro.

Keigo and Mizuro had arrived without dates at the dance last night soon after Momo and Rukia emerged from their lengthy talk in the ladies' room. Apparently, there had indeed been some type of issue with Keigo's date, although no one knew what. They had been afraid Keigo would cry if they asked. She had been appalled, yet relieved, when Ichigo punched him for lunging at her in greeting. With that thought, her eyes flicked back to the carrot standing in front of her.

"You know, in those heels you're almost as tall as a normal person," Ichigo smirked.

Rukia reflexively pulled back to slug his arm with all her might, but forgot the very heels he was teasing her about. She didn't move around much in her heels at Kuchiki functions, so she didn't have much experience doing anything in heels but standing still. Being the adopted child from a decried marriage didn't exactly fill up her dance card.

"You jerk! I'm going to... waaaaah!"

She helplessly felt her mutinous legs trip over nothing and pitch her towards the ground. She closed her eyes and braced for the impact, instead feeling a strong set of arms curve under her arms and around her back. Before she even had time to consciously process that she was suddenly staring into Ichigo's molten amber eyes from less than a foot away, her breath caught in her throat. Rukia roughly pushed his chest away, face burning.

"Yeah, falling sure showed me. Maybe you should take it easy while you're wearing grown-up shoes, especially when you have farther to fall now," said Ichigo, sporting his ever popular smirk and what Rukia thought looked like a bit of a blush. "Let's get going."

"I wear shoes like this all the time!" Rukia rebutted, as she awkwardly walk-hopped to catch up with Ichigo, who had already started walking after his friends.

"Of course," he called out without turning around. "You're lucky it's only a five block walk, midget."

After the first block, Rukia knew it was going to be the longest five blocks of her life thanks to already having been on her feet all day. That sexy feeling that Rangiku promised the boots and lingerie would give her hadn't kicked in yet. She didn't think she looked very sexy either, as she did kind of did a hopping walk-jog to keep up with everyone else.

Suddenly, Rukia caught the toe of her boot on the uneven sidewalk. Once again, she managed to miraculously miss the ground and found herself suspended in mid-air by Ichigo. This time, Ichigo kept her close and slid one of his hands down her bare arm, eliciting electrifying shivers. With her hand now securely in his, he returned her upright on her feet.

Smiling, he entwined their fingers and tugged on her hand to start them walking again. Rukia had no idea how she was moving her legs at the moment. He breath caught in her throat. Ichigo had to have been keeping an eye on her to catch her like that. This could definitely be a date!

"I guess it must be hard to keep up with those short midget legs. I'll have to pull you from here on," he said, smile morphing smoothly into a smirk.

Or not. He always turned what seemed like nice gestures into another way to poke fun at her. Yet, it always felt like he was saying something nice. She was confused about Ichigo, and she was confused about her own irrational conclusions regarding Ichigo. Rukia did not like being confused, especially by her own heart. She didn't want to want him!

"What do you think you're doing?" she fumed indignantly.

Momo said he liked a girl, and Rukia knew it couldn't be her. She didn't know why she was even wasting her time pretending she was on a date or wanting to be on a date in the first place. Momo's own storybook romance must have made her into an overzealous matchmaker, wildly speculating.

"Helping you out."

"Shut it, Strawberry. You had better hope I really don't fall down, because I'm going to tell everyone that you pushed me," Rukia retorted, feeling less tough while she was holding his hand.

"Psh, like my friends would believe you. I'm a nice guy, you know."

She hated her heart for racing, because he held her hand and smiled at her like that. She hated herself for liking him. She hated herself for exposing her heart, the one she had worked so hard to wall up, to the pain. She hated herself for daring to think that she could have any sort of happy ending.

"If by nice you really mean total asshat, then, yes, I do know. Idiot strawberry, I don't need your help. How far away is this party anyhow?"

"We're about halfway there already," Ichigo said before whispering in her ear, "You sure complain a lot for someone with a death grip on my hand."

Rukia stiffened and blushed, pretending she hadn't heard the whispered implication or felt his breath on her neck. The rest of the walk went much smoother and quieter. Rukia found her heart racing more from Ichigo's hand then the brisk pace. She couldn't help it, but she resolved to not get her hopes up. The pain from her shoes and tired feet helped her focus and became easy to ignore.

She felt confident by the time they reached the front steps of one of the large mansions in a neighborhood near the academy. Once inside and to the center, Rukia couldn't believe her eyes. It was like a discotheque, complete with sparkling ball and flashing lights, if she looked to her right. What looked like a packed bar in the kitchen/den area lay to her left. It looked like the entire school plus half a small town were in attendance.

She involuntarily tightened her grip on Ichigo's hand, feeling overwhelmed. Even though she recognized a lot of faces from school, she didn't actually know anyone in the room. Rukia hoped Ichigo wouldn't want his hand back. With Ichigo next to her, she could give this a chance and see what things like this were like. This would be over in no time. She could do this.

Maybe she would run into Renji and Shuuhei. She frowned thinking about how Renji and Shuuhei had never even bothered to tell her about parties like this, let along invite her along – jerks. Did she really seem like she wouldn't even want to know, let alone go? She vaguely remembered Shuuhei inviting her to karaoke once, only to have Renji call to tell her it was canceled. Then, she found out that they had gone without her – super jerks.

"Let's do these shots and get on the dance floor pronto!" Rangiku had somehow already gotten them all drinks.

"You're crazy! Those aren't shots. Those are rocks glasses filled almost to the brim with," Uryu paused as he sniffed the glass she'd dropped into his hand, "_straight vodka_!"

"What else would they be filled with!? And they _are_ shots if your drink it all at once without taking a breath. Just think of it as a jumbo shot. Now, everyone grab one and go! I said _now_!"

Rangiku made sure they each had a glass in hand. Since she downed her own as quickly as if it had actually been the size of a normal shot, Rangiku had no conscionable objection to forcing everyone to finish before making a run for the middle of the dance floor. That girl could really be intimidating, thought Rukia.

She held her empty glass and felt a little green. This was nothing like slowly sipping sake or champagne. At least Ichigo had tipped out half of the contents of her glass for her when Rangiku wasn't looking.

"You alright, Rukia? You don't have to drink anything else, if you don't want to. I'm probably only going to have one more drink for the rest of the night... and not for a while after _that, _if at all."

Ichigo looked down at her with obvious concern. Rukia, still shuddering from the "shot," assumed it was mostly for whether or not she was going to throw up all over his shoes. They were pretty stylish shoes. Regardless, she noted that he didn't have to mention how much he didn't plan on drinking tonight. Rukia almost wished he wouldn't be nice to her at all, now that she knew without a doubt that she hopelessly liked him.

"I'll be fine," she said in a sing-song voice with a small smile.

Nodding for emphasis, Rukia let him pull her towards everyone else already on the dance floor. It sounded like some kind of techno/euro-pop/dance remix. For the entire song she just kind of swayed awkwardly, awed at how even Uryu seemed to be able to let loose. He had seemed sort of uptight at the dance. She mused that he was just worried about being on the verge of a gushing nosebleed all of last night. Perhaps it was also the drink he'd just had.

Suddenly her own drink unmistakably hit her, making her a bit tipsy – not drunk. Wishing that she hadn't just picked nervously at her lunch, she started to reach for Ichigo's hand in a slight panic. Ichigo smiled at her, grasped her outstretched hand, and softly tugged her over. A giggle slipped out, and she covered her mouth with her free hand in surprise. Rukia started to move closer and abruptly stopped short, as a brunette suddenly wedged herself between them – not six inches from the front of his body.

Rukia suspected her "dress" was, in actuality, supposed to be a shirt, a child's shirt. Tightening her grip on Ichigo's hand, Rukia narrowed her eyes at the unbridled lust on the hussy's face. The brunette was wrapping her arms around his neck and thrusting her hips the remaining six inches to Ichigo's groin. She proceed to wiggle her hips from side to side while whispering in his ear.

Frowning, Rukia wasn't sure whether she wanted to cry or throw a punch. Then she noticed that Ichigo didn't look as pleased as the girl did. In fact, he was grimacing and trying to lean away, slip out of her grasp. Ichigo said something Rukia couldn't hear over the music and brought his arms up to the girl's shoulders, detaching her with a rough shove.

Pouting, the girl tried again to no avail before Ichigo said something that looked harsh. The brunette huffed away, glaring at Rukia. Her eyes widened in surprise. Ichigo picked up the hand he had dropped in order to push the brunette away. He turned back to Rukia, drawing her close and leaning down to bring his lips to her ear.

"I'm going to have to put up with _that_ all night if you don't help me out. Stay close to me all night. Please, Rukia," he whispered into her ear, his breath sending goosebumps in a shiver down her spine. "Please, say yes."

All she could do was nod and whimper, "yes."

She could hear sincerity and something... else in his voice. Rukia shivered, feeling his other hand slide around her waist and pull her towards him. All of her resolve washed away, and she didn't care. It was like she assumed the place of that hussy, although she wasn't doing anything that she thought could pass as seductive. Rukia blushed, liking the position.

"Rukia," he breathed, sending another shiver down her spine.

Then she really felt her body reacting to the close proximity, wanting to move the last few inches closer. She brought her hands up to his chest. Rukia met Ichigo's amber eyes, and he used his arm to start to start slowly swaying with her, not really dancing at all. Neither were the type. She slowly shifted her weight forward over her toes, Ichigo's arms holding her balance.

Looking into his molten eyes, she was certain; Rukia had heard desire in his voice. An electric tingle ran throughout her body, as she tried to find a reason not to let herself do this. Nothing came to mind. Rukia prayed that Ichigo couldn't tell that images of him picking her up, kissing her passionately, and letting her wrap her legs around his waist to get as close as possible ravaged her mind.

"Rukia!" Rukia suddenly felt herself being forcibly ripped out of Ichigo's grasp with a whimper. "What are you even doing _here_?! _What_ are you wearing?! What was _he_ forcing you into?! Did he get you _drunk_?"

A horrified and obviously sloshed Renji stared back at her, as her body lamented the loss of closeness to Ichigo. Rukia snapped back to the present and took a defensive stance, giving Renji a hard shove in the middle of his chest with the heel of her hand. He stumbled back a step, shocked. She wasn't the damsel in distress he expected.

"No! What do you think I'm doing? I'm at a party, and I'm having fun."

"Fun?! It looked more like _he_," Renji paused as he pointed an accusatory finger at a clearly amused Ichigo, before continuing, "was trying to take advantage of you. I bet he made you wear _this_ too. That shirt is way too revealing. You brother is going to kill me if he finds out I let you come here and do this!"

"Oh really?! He's going to kill you for _letting_ me do this? Are you sure he's not going to kill you for sending me into slavery because you couldn't keep your ego under control?!"

"Yeah, well, where the hell were you for pizza yesterday. _What_ were you doing? Were you with _him_?"

"I can't believe I'm even talking to you right now. I'm perfectly capable of not letting _your _debt get paid through prostitution!"

"B-b-but I didn't... You would never...," Renji started, surprised at the tongue lashing.

"You must certainly did! And what would you know about what I would and wouldn't do!? How dare you!? _I _went shopping this morning and bought this outfit. And letting me, _letting_ me!_ I _can do whatever _I _want without _your_ permission! And right now _I _want to go outside with Ichigo, _not _you."

With that, Rukia grabbed a surprised Ichigo's hand and started dragging him towards the glass doors leading out onto a patio and proceeding into what appeared to be a small, professionally constructed flower garden. She could feel his hand shaking as he tried not to laugh out loud.

"What?!" she exploded.

Stopping, Rukia whirled to face Ichigo, who had what could only be described as a stupid grin on his face. She just wanted to scream in frustration. She couldn't believe she had just done that. Ichigo was obviously trying not to laugh but mellowed when she saw that his eyes sparkled with more than just amusement.

"You can get kind of feisty. I think I just realized why I like arguing with you so much. I never really understood it, but now..."

"You _like_ arguing with me," she shyly whispered, glancing at Ichigo nervously.

She only appeared calm on the outside, thanks to the remnants of her Kuchiki composure. Inside, Rukia was mentally hyperventilating.

"Always did. Ah, I think we should get back onto the dance floor as soon as possible, if that's okay with you." Ichigo's smirk started to look a little more suggestive, which only made Rukia blush fiercely and avert her eyes. "Not that I want to dance again or anything."

"Yeah? Well, I think that we just might do that," she said with a smile, raising one eyebrow.

Rukia felt a thrill at saying "we" in reference to Ichigo and herself, let alone what he had implied. The look in his eyes made her remember what she had been thinking just moments prior to Renji's unwelcome intrusion.

"Great...," Ichigo started, taking her hand with the intention of going right back to what they had been doing.

All Ichigo could think about was getting Rukia back into his arms. He had to restrain himself to keep from picking her up and sprinting back inside as fast as he could. Ichigo had forgotten to be nervous when he had seen the look at her face and her hand reaching for him before. He had found himself saying exactly what was on his mind and was contemplating kissing her... until that baboon barged in. Ichigo tried not to think about it and began to head back inside. Ichigo and Rukia both turned to see Renji staring right back at them through the glass of the window next to the patio doors through which they exited.

"But I'd like to stay out here for a little while to give Renji a chance to stop staring at us and get over it," Rukia said with a frown.

When she had said that she wanted to wait for Renji to get over it, she had mentally added that she needed a moment to get over it too. The rush was wearing off. She couldn't believe she had just done that. Vaguely wishing she had been drunk enough to use it as an excuse for her loss of self, she slipped her hand from Ichigo's with a small sigh. After all, Ichigo hadn't exactly said that he liked her. She vowed to keep her hands to herself (and Ichigo's hands likewise) until she got a crystal clear confession.

"Yeah, he's being kind of creepy. None of my friends are that weir... never mind," mumbled Ichigo.

Rukia pointedly ignored his comment about her friend, however much she agreed that Renji was acting weird, not wanting to think about it.

"And I think I'd like to get some fresh air anyway. My head is spinning, but that might just be the rush from getting all ... feisty," Rukia said while raising her head to meet Ichigo's fiery eyes with a laugh.

Rukia felt giddy. She couldn't help it. She wasn't sure what she was doing, but it was fun. She spied a stone bench off to the side and flopped down, Ichigo following. After a moment of awkward silence, they resumed their usual talking and arguing, both typically avoiding what they were really thinking. Meanwhile, everyone else they had come with was enjoying the party just as much as Ichigo and Rukia, although ahead in number of drinks by far. Ichigo and Rukia only imbibed the 'shot' from Rangiku. Neither were interested in having any more either.

**********

Keigo had almost passed Orihime before his attention zeroed in on her chest, then, to the bag in her hands just below her chest.

"Hey, where did you even get those?! On second thought, it doesn't even matter. Potato chips sound perfect right now. What flavor are they?"

"Awesome." Orihime giggled.

"What?"

"They taste like... awesome!"

"What are you talking about? That's not a flavor!" Keigo grabbed a handful of crisps and promptly shoved them into his mouth, before turning a little green around the edges.

"Can you believe what is happening in your mouth right now?"

"I hope not. Oh god. I didn't just eat potato chips, did I?"

"Well, they were originally plain old barbecue flavor potato chips, but that sounded boring. But after I found some ranch dressing, hummus, yellow mustard, black pepper, sweet pickles, and sour cream in the fridge to mix into the bag they turned into awesome," a drunk Orihime explained around her own mouthful of chips.

"That sounds... unique," said Keigo, after swallowing his mouthful with a loud gulp.

"They would be beyond awesome if I had been able to find some alfalfa sprouts too though," she lamented.

There was a moment of silence while Keigo turned three different atypical shades for a face before reverting to his normal coloring. He rubbed his stomach, looking thoughtful.

"Oh. Huh... not bad once you give it a minute. Maybe I should crash the homemade dinner you're making for Uryu," Keigo said, reaching for another handful.

"No way! Uryu and I aren't into threesomes," Orihime said as a matter of fact, while doing a kind of shooing motion with the hand not holding the crisp bag.

Keigo involuntarily conjured a mental image compounded by the jiggly effect her shooing had and fell to the floor with a nose bleed.

"Keigo? Oh well, more for me!"

Orihime continued to eat her special creation, hoping she would remember this recipe in the morning, so she could make it for Uryu as an appetizer. Orihime enjoyed the time she spent with Uryu. She was even starting to forget what brought them together in the first place. Uryu was intended to be a substitute target for her unrequited feelings for Ichigo.

However, he quickly began taking Ichigo's place in her heart. She always knew she wasn't the girl that Ichigo had had his eyes on, especially when she tried to subtly make it known that she was available. After hearing about the fight and subsequent bet from Tatsuki, Orihime thought that a distraction would work best.

Having Rukia around and seeing the way Ichigo looked at her only confirmed what Orihime already knew in her heart. She resolved to exorcise any lingering affection for Ichigo by being a friend to Rukia. Orihime had even made sure to give Rukia a friendly goodnight, as she saw her leave with Momo at the end of the night.

"What happened to Keigo!" Mizuiro exclaimed, seeing the pair on the ground whilst passing by. "Wake up, Mr. Asano."

Mizuiro nudged his friend with his foot.

"I'm not sure. He just kind of fell over all of a sudden," Orihime replied.

"Hmm... he must have tried to drown his sorrows with alcohol. I thought he was doing better than that. He's such a drama queen."

"Why was he sad? This is a party after all!"

"Because the date that my girlfriend had found for Keigo turned out to be his sister. It was kind of funny, if you think about it."

"Noooo! You didn't have to tell anyone about that!"

Keigo regained consciousness just in time to clutch Mizuiro's leg and wail.

*********

A/N: Thanks for everyone's reviews/adds. The reviews have really helped me get a handle on what I'm doing right and what I need to work on. I'll try not to disappoint with any future chapters. The next update should be on Friday.

Leena -- Me too! Except that I'm so clueless that when he tried to kiss me, I thought I had just imagined it. Your review unknowingly gave me inspiration on how to fix the issues mistdreams pointed out for me.

mistdreams -- Thank you so much for that review and the time it must have taken. I tried to add some details to this chapter to help things match up better. Admittedly, I forgot about the risk of being overheard in the bathroom, given most of my high school bathroom experience. I'd appreciate it if you (and LittleRu) could let me know how I salvaged everything, especially with the sudden Momo/Rukia. Also, Rukia is also having a hard time pinning down Ichigo too. I was trying to keep the reader in a bit of the same boat as Rukia. If this chapter seemed to drag, don't worry. Surrounding events progress quicker from here on.

on that note...

psychegloom -- That was a lot of time at the dance for so little reward, I know. I'm kind of set on my timeline for the next couple chapters, but I'll do my best not to make you have to say that again.

Blatantly Anonymous -- I don't think I have the guts to write a good lemon. Perhaps one night I'll feel more brazen and end up writing a one-shot that could easily be inserted into this story later as a lemon just to see if I can.

Garrett-Is-Mine -- It shocked me when I wrote it too.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

**CHAPTER NINE – posted 06/05**

"Oh, my goodness, is that _Chad_ on top of that table out there?!" Rukia squeaked in disbelief, pointing towards the open patio doors and the scene unfolding beyond.

Rukia and Ichigo were staying to the side of room by one of the walls, awkwardly avoiding the subject of what had happened earlier. Ichigo looked over his shoulder. Chad was standing on top of a table on the patio and doing what looked like the Robot. Apparently Chad hadn't been as lucky as Rukia and Ichigo had in avoiding Rangiku, as she continually administered rounds of drinks.

"Looks like it. Uh, is he wearing a lamp shade?"

"Huh. I didn't know people actually did that," Rukia mused with a smile.

Suddenly, Chad seemed shaky, and the table gave an ominous wiggle.

"Ah! Chad might hurt someone if he falls on them!"

Rukia watched Ichigo run over just in time to catch Chad as he toppled off of the table. She had wanted to ask why Ichigo wasn't concerned about Chad getting hurt in the impending fall. Absorbed in the unfolding situation, she didn't notice Eriko and her lieutenants smoothly stalking towards her with menace.

Eriko suddenly seemed to come out of nowhere to stand in front of Rukia and shove her roughly back against the wall. Rukia was cornered with Eriko's usual two lackeys flanking her on either side. It didn't make her feel any better that they were obviously hiding something behind their backs. Why couldn't Renji have chosen now to butt in instead?

"I hope you don't think that Ichigo would actually like _you_. You are a piece of dirt. I did some digging and found out that a friend of mine remember your from junior high. _You _don't deserve him. You don't even deserve to be at this school. You're a fake. I bet a pathetic piece of trash like you orchestrated the bet yourself and blackmailed him into hanging around with your sorry ass.

"Why would he suddenly want to hang out with you when he could be hanging out with a real woman with authentic status like me? He definitely wouldn't want you if he knew what you were really like. Maybe a little slut looking for action like you should figure out what you really deserve before you try something so clearly out of your league like this. Stay in your place from now on – which is not anywhere near _my_ Ichigo," Eriko sneered, voice dripping with malice.

Eriko looked at each of her friends, her eyes sparkling with ill intent. Rukia saw pitchers of something red materialize in their hands. Rukia felt the cold, sticky liquid simultaneously splash onto her head and each of her shoulders. This time Rukia was almost entirely soaked. Eriko's words reminded her of what the girls had said about Hisana when she was in junior high. It was exponentially worse than the dance.

"No one is going to save you this time," said Eriko condescendingly.

Mortified, Rukia shoved a cackling Eriko and ran straight for the bathroom she remembered seeing near the kitchen when Rangiku had tried to drag her over to do some shots earlier. Orihime saw a dripping Rukia streak through the kitchen and started to make her way through the crowd to the bathroom. Rukia didn't see or wait for Orihime and went right in. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one trying to get to Rukia.

Right before Rukia clicked the door shut, it was forcibly pushed inward. Rukia had just grasped the edge of the sink to steady her shaking legs when she saw two intimidating guys behind her in the mirror. Tightening her grip on the sink, Rukia spun around in horror. The one with dark brown hair clamped his hand onto her mouth and jerked her away from the sink before she could even squeak in protest or surprise. Having seen the two go in, Orihime began frantically pushing people out of the way.

"Hey, someone was in there! Rukia! Rukia! Are you alright, Rukia?!" She heard Orihime pound on the door and jiggle the knob.

"She said you might be looking for a little action tonight, and I'm thinking you don't really care who gives it to you. It's not like anyone is going to care what happens to a little slut like you," Rukia heard a deep, menacing voice behind her say.

The blond, creepier guy gave Rukia a disgusting, lecherous grin as his hand moved toward the front of her shirt. Her eyes widened, and she felt the sting of welling tears. She tried to struggle free but the skirt prevented her from raising her leg for a decent kick and her arms were pinned at a painful angle. The hand over her mouth managed to push her jaw and neck upwards, preventing a bite.

"Maybe we should start having a little more fun. We can start by helping you out of these clothes."

Rukia couldn't even find her voice to scream. Just as Rukia braced herself and her panic started to give way to tears, the door blasted inward, splitting down the middle. Ichigo burst through in a ball of rage and both of her attackers were crumpled on the floor unconscious and bleeding inside of five seconds.

"I-I-Ichi-Ichigo," Rukia sobbed, as Ichigo turned to her, eyes still wild with killing intent.

Dry sobs wracked her body, as she stared at Ichigo, empty, not knowing what to feel. Rukia took precedent over his fulfilling his rage. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her out of the bathroom. Tatsuki stepped into the bathroom right as Ichigo cleared the door with Rukia. Tatsuki audibly picked up with the beating right where Ichigo left off.

"Did you get to her in time?"

A worried Orihime hovered just outside the door. She instantly wrapped an arm around both Rukia and Ichigo, tears of worry streaming down her face. Orihime had a surprisingly strong hug. The pair were smashed together, whether they wanted to be or not. It made Rukia smile faintly, feeling slightly comforted.

"Thank you, Orihime. They hadn't... I don't think I could have forgiven myself if I'd come a second later," Ichigo whispered.

"Well, I'm done. They'll both feel that beating for at least the next month. We'd better call a couple ambulances to make sure they don't die," Tatsuki broke out in an evil grin. "It's been a while since I've gotten into a real fight. I think I got a little carried away."

Uryu slipped out through the wreckage of the bathroom door behind Tatsuki, even though no one, including Tatsuki, had seen him enter.

"What were you doing behind me? When did you even go in there?" asked Tatsuki.

Uryu took his time in answering. He casually adjusted his glasses, as his friends looked at him expectantly.

"I had a permanent marker in my hand from Keigo asking me to draw a mustache on him – he's still matching Rangiku drink for drink – right as the commotion broke out. I dashed over to help but was too late, so instead I added a little commentary to any exposed skin that wasn't already covered in blood courtesy of Tatsuki here."

"What kind of commentary?" Orihime inquired curiously.

"Well, the attention from the ambulance will make sure that everyone will see some uncomplimentary labels in big, bold, black letters. And all the commotion will make it easier for us to figure who's responsible, so I can take this to the Headmaster. I don't think that they did this on their own, and I don't think that we should have that kind of scum at the school any longer, right Ichigo?"

"Damn straight. The only way anyone involved is staying in or graduating from this school is if Tatsuki went a little overboard and they accidentally die before they're expelled."

"Oh, Uryu, you are so smart! And I love you so much more for taking defending Rukia to the next level," Orihime gushed. "Let me get you some special potato chips as a reward."

"S-special?" Uryu choked out, turning green in "eager" anticipation of his "reward."

Orihime finally released her captives from her hug to grab Uryu. That left Rukia to embrace Ichigo of her own volition. Luckily, Rukia had regained most of her outward composure by this point. Without Orihime to hold them together, Ichigo loosened his hold and discreetly moved his hand to Rukia's.

"Come on, Rukia. We have to get out of here before they get up and I accidentally kill them both for even coming close to hurting you. And we need to get you cleaned up."

"I don't want to stay any longer," Rukia said with a nod.

Ichigo wasn't walking that fast, but Rukia felt herself struggling to keep up. She started to noticeably limp and let Ichigo's hand slide from hers. She stopped just as they'd made it outside. It was too much for her. Her head was spinning and her feet hurt on top of that. Rukia just couldn't deal with both.

"Ichigo. Ichigo! Wait; I'm... not sure if I can make it back," Rukia squeaked in a small voice, blushing. "My ... my shoes feel like they're filled with thousands of tiny stones. I don't know how I made it through the evening this long wearing these torture devices!

"I know Orihime and Rangiku said the pain is supposed to be worth it for how much sexier I'll look and that guys would notice me just from that. But I'd rather look like my regular, totally non-sexy self than go through this again. I'm sticky all over! Why do girls want to throw things on me whenever I'm with you?! And my feet hurt!"

Rukia broke down into a wailing ramble, as the shock from earlier ebbed. Her feet didn't even really matter; the pain gave her a distraction. She felt like everything was crumbling down around her and fought to keep as much composure as possible. She felt so stupid, so weak, so pathetic. She felt ashamed of the outburst she'd just had... was still trying to suppress. Ichigo couldn't possibly like her after seeing her like this. He must be disgusted with her.

What about Rukia would make anyone like her that way in the first place? Despite how Ichigo acted earlier, maybe Eriko was right. Ichigo didn't have any reason to like her; it all made her feel like a such a fool. Deep down, she really didn't feel that she deserved to be happy, didn't feel that she was anything special. She was nothing more than an amusing pet to Ichigo, a tool to keep the other girls away.

She had embarrassed herself enough by dancing with Ichigo... not to mention imposing on Ichigo by needing him to rescue her. Now Renji could threaten to tell her brother about this and undermine all of her hard work, make her into what her family thought she was anyway. She just... she just... Rukia stared at her feet, trying to get a hold of herself.

Ichigo smiled sympathetically at a clearly distraught Rukia. She didn't see him walk right up to her and wrap one arm around her waist and the other around her thighs. Rukia found herself half thrown over Ichigo's shoulder, ripping her away from her downward spiral of inner thought.

"Waaaaah! What are you doing? Put me down, fool! You can't carry me like a misbehaving child!" she screamed, as she tried to wiggle out of his grasp. "I can walk on my own!"

Ichigo only laughed, fluidly shifting and sliding her into a bridal style carry. He looked down at her in his arms. Rukia's eyes grew wide as she looked up at him with her mouth gaping like a hooked fish. One of her hands rested splayed in the center of his chest; the other closed slightly, anchoring on the fabric of his shirt.

"Make up your mind! Anyway, it's a good thing you're such a midget. I'll have no problem carrying you back." Ichigo pretended not to notice her expression and continued, "I can't believe someone who continually insists she can take care of herself needs so much rescuing."

Ichigo wanted to hold her close and promise her that he wouldn't let anything happen to her ever again.

"You know, I'm getting this sticky crap all over you." Rukia could only stare at her hands clutching Ichigo's shirt and blush furiously.

"Eh, I'll just take a shower. Getting a little sticky is more than what I'm willing to do to take care of you, obviously. It would have been all my fault. It's a good thing Uryu and Tatsuki were to maximize their suffering and give them at least half of what they deserve for even looking at you the wrong way."

Ichigo's voice started out nonchalant, but morphed into a bit of a growl as his anger started to come back a little. Rukia was taken aback by the unexpected emotional sincerity she saw play across his face.

"Idiot, it's not your fault. You saved me. But why would you want to take care of _me_?" Rukia mumbled loud enough for Ichigo to hear, as she closed her eyes.

She let her head rest against his warm, firm shoulder. Rukia stayed silent for the rest of the walk, feeling drained. She loved the feeling of being carried by Ichigo, aching feet or not. Breathing in Ichigo's scent, Rukia started to drift off to sleep from her emotional exhaustion. Her brain didn't want to think right now. Suddenly, she felt Ichigo jostle her and looked around, wondering how they were already back on campus.

"Rukia, can you get your keys out? We're outside the wing to your building, but I can't get you in without your key after curfew."

"Oh, no! I didn't even think about... my keys are with all of my things in Tatsuki's room. Everyone is still at the party and Momo is out with her boyfriend," Rukia groaned, cursing her complete inexperience in being out after curfew.

"Well, I guess I'll just take you back to my room. I can't leave you outside all night, especially looking like that," Ichigo said with a sigh.

With a sigh, he looked down at Rukia, about to say something. He stopped upon seeing her wide eyes, which only made him grin.

"But ... but ... but ... I can't stay in your room all night, idiot!" Rukia gasped, feeling just as horrified as her expression suggested.

"I'm not the idiot that left her keys inside the building we're locked out of. It doesn't look like you have any choice in the matter," Ichigo sighed and headed off towards his own building.

"What if we get caught?"

"You're just going to have to be quiet then. Contrary to rumor, I don't sneak girls into my room on a regular basis, so I don't have some fail-safe way to get you in. And I'm sure you don't want to get caught sneaking into my room in the middle of the night."

"So you _do_ sneak girls into your room – just not on a regular basis?"

"No! It's just... I've actually never... ah... brought a girl to my room at all before. I mean, I've had my friends over before, but that's it."

Rukia gave Ichigo a suspicious look as she considered her options. Unfortunately, she didn't feel she had much of a choice. Staying in Ichigo's room was preferable to either getting caught sneaking into Ichigo's room or having to explain herself to her dorm supervisor, who lets in girls who have locked themselves out. Since she looked and smelled like a mess, no one would believe she hadn't been up to nefarious activity, and it would unleash an inquisition of sorts.

Rukia didn't think she could act out a respectable sob story at the moment. On top of that, Rukia would rather not have to deal with the punishment. Her brother would most likely be informed and called to the school for a meeting. Any word reaching the rest of the Kuchiki family would undoubtedly have the worst spin possible. She resolved to stay quiet and comply, giving Ichigo a resigned sigh and nod.

Ichigo ended up shifting Rukia to his back and running a course stealthy enough to impress a ninja. She had to hike her skirt up so high that it barely covered her panties. She had to cover her mouth to suppress giggles. Her favorite part was when they darted into the first floor bathroom and then scaled the outside wall to the bathroom on his floor.

He was thankful for the convenient drain pipes and architectural frou frou. Ichigo didn't put her down until he carried her inside his room and locked the door behind them. Sighing in relief, he leaned back against the door with closed eyes.

"That was insane. I can't believe I just scaled a building for you," Ichigo said more to himself than to Rukia.

Rukia quickly pulled her skirt back down and took off her boots the minute her feet touched the ground. She took some deep breaths, realizing that she still had a chance to recover from the embarrassment of the evening and preceding week with minimal rumors and her family reputation intact. If Ni-sama ever found out... Rukia mentally shuddered.

"Umm ... thanks," Rukia muttered. "But what are you doing being so nice to me, rescuing me, and making me comfortable? You weren't supposed to be nice to me. Didn't you want to use this bet to torture and humiliate me?"

"I didn't realize I was supposed to do anything. And who said I ever wanted to torture and humiliate you?"

Ichigo's eyes stayed closed. He sounded amused. Rukia frowned.

"Well, there is just the bet itself; who does that? And you're supposed to be an arrogant punk that does whatever he wants whenever he wants with whomever he wants. I'm trying to be a good Kuchiki; isn't this some elaborate ploy to ruin me? Have you been playing some twisted psychological game with me?"

"What?" Ichigo replied simply with a touch of surprise in his voice.

"I mean, you uh... _danced_ with me earlier and have been so nice. This doesn't... _we_ don't make sense."

Rukia blushed at her own allusion. She hadn't meant to insinuate that she even thought of being together with Ichigo.

"I didn't think you'd be confused," said Ichigo with a twinge of sadness this time. "I'm sorry. I didn't think I really would be so bad at this."

"What? How am I confused? What are you bad at?"

"Wait. First, why don't you use the shower, since it's starting to flake off your skin. You look like you have some horribly contagious exotic skin disease or took a swim in fruit punch," Ichigo said with a chuckle, opening his eyes.

"I don't have any clothes to change into."

Rukia looked away with a blush. She didn't want to have to ask Ichigo for anything when she wasn't sure what her situation with him was. Given that, she, also, didn't want him to know what she was starting to admit she wanted the situation to be. I would be too good to be true if he felt the same way she did.

"I'll find some clothes that might fit you and leave them right outside the door. The door locks, so you don't have to worry about me doing whatever I want whenever I want to whomever I want."

Ichigo's smile turned into a smirk as he shoved off the wall and walked toward his closet, clearly assuming she was heading for the shower. Rukia just stood in place as Ichigo searched for the smallest clothes he owned.

"I... I didn't think that you would...," Rukia started before Ichigo cut her off.

"I didn't make the bet to hurt you. Now, please just take a shower, so I don't have to wait any longer to take one myself," Ichigo said. "Hmm... There are some things I don't have in my closet. This will take me a minute. Why don't you go ahead. I'll place them outside the door. And promise that I won't be anywhere near the door when you open it."

Looking at his sincere smile and tired eyes, she smiled back, nodded, and headed for the shower. Rukia double checked that the door was securely closed and locked before undressing and stepping into the shower, unnerved more by her own feelings than any actual distrust of Ichigo. The stiff, sticky clothes literally peeling away from her skin felt disgusting. Stepping under the scalding hot water, she groaned in relief. A shower never felt so good, even if it was in Ichigo's bathroom.

She closed her eyes and started to massage the shampoo into her scalp – her favorite part. It always felt therapeutic. Rukia suddenly wondered what it would feel like to have Ichigo quietly sneak into the bathroom, slip into the shower behind her, take over washing her hair for her and then... Jumping and gasping as her body reacted to her thoughts, she wasn't sure whether she should be slapping herself or the imaginary Ichigo. Hastily, Rukia finished cleaning, careful not to entertain any more perverted thoughts.

After wrapping herself securely in a towel, Rukia opened the door just enough reach a hand out in order to pull in the neatly folded clothes Ichigo had placed outside the door as promised. She slipped the purple t-shirt over her head, noticed how big it wasn't, and silently thanked Ichigo for wearing such tight clothes. Then she looked at the boxers – the only thing left for her to put on. She realized that she was short some essential items.

Her panties and bra from earlier were just as disgusting as the rest of her attire. Bile rose in her throat at the thought of putting them back onto her clean body. Rukia pulled on the boxer shorts, rolling the waistband a couple times. Her hands nervously shook as she hoped the thought of her going without undergarments hadn't crossed Ichigo's mind. Looking on the bright side, she imagined that this could be much worse had she been more like Rangiku or Orihime.

Taking a deep breath, Rukia opened the door. Ichigo looked up from a book he had been reading on the other side of the room. Her face reddened, as she found herself suddenly wanting Ichigo to throw down his book, rush across the room and... confirm the status of her undergarments. It was like she couldn't stop the thoughts from coming anymore. She was Rukia Kuchiki – not one of Ichigo's fan girls!

"Umm ... your turn," Rukia mumbled, suddenly feeling more awkward than she had all evening.

"Great. Well, I was thinking that we could just watch a movie, since you can't really leave," Ichigo started, scratching his head nervously. "You can pick it out while I'm in the shower. All of my movies are in the cabinet below the television. Sorry, I don't have that many, because I like to read. I've got a mini-fridge with some snacks too."

Ichigo smiled lightly; he didn't seem to be thinking anything lecherous. Rukia quickly crossed her arms over her chest as he brushed her sleeve on his way to the shower. She had a hopeful feeling he wasn't planning to tell her about some devious plan he had to ruin her, her friends, or the Kuchiki family when he finished his shower. She didn't think she could ever be that lucky, but her heart kept pushing her to hope.

Said heart skipped a beat. Kurosaki Ichigo may actually like her back. That's right; she was admitting to herself that she liked Ichigo _and_ daring to hope for the best. Rukia smiled. She even realized that she had someone to tell. Tomorrow morning she could go back to he room and tell Momo. That is, if Ichigo really does like her. If not, well, she couldn't impose her suffering on Momo and would have to pretend that she hadn't really liked him in the first place.

*****

A/N: I think everyone liked the individual PM replies to reviews better, right? I'll stick with it. I'm going to post again on Saturday/Sunday (as in the next two days). I just need some time to re-read my story from the beginning and make sure the next part of the story is how I want it and how it should be. Thanks for everyone's reviews/adds.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN – posted 06/07**

With Ichigo out of the room, kind of, Rukia took a moment to actually look around. This room was definitely much bigger than hers. Hell, you could divide this one room into two rooms the size of hers. She was a Kuchiki; her room shouldn't have be smaller. She didn't recognize Ichigo's or Toshiro's names from any of the other noble families that could have gotten a room like this with clout. Toshiro's family was new money, and she'd never heard of Ichigo's at all.

It looked like a man's room straight out of an old movie with dark wood and antique furniture. It also gave the air of a playboy – the womanizer Ichigo was rumored to be. However, neither Ichigo or Toshiro seemed like the kind of guys who would choose this decor and entertain the way this room appeared to be set up for. It appeared to be decorated with their belongings in spite of itself, actually.

Rukia heard the shower turn off as she walked over to the cabinet that she assumed held his movie collection. Thankfully, he had obviously organized them in alphabetical order, then by genre, which seemed to mean either action or comedy. She smiled as she thought of how Renji just kept his movies in an unrecognizable jumble near his television. None of the movies really caught her interest. She wanted to watch something light and carefree, like Chappy, but had no such luck.

Then, her eyes landed on the plush, comfortable-looking leather sofa across from the television. Hearing the faint click of the bathroom door, Rukia gasped, startled. Without knowing why, she literally dove for the sofa as she heard the sound of the bathroom door opening. Quickly, she adjusted her position and turned her head nonchalantly, as if she'd been sitting in wait. She felt silly. The normal Kuchiki Rukia wouldn't have been so jumpy, especially for no reason. Then again, Kuchiki Rukia wouldn't normally be here in the first place.

Emerging, Ichigo had just started to put his t-shirt on. Rukia watched the hem fall, her eyes involuntarily appreciating the sight being concealed. No wonder he had no trouble splitting a door down the middle, instantly dispatching two guys, carrying her all the way from the party, and scaling a wall, she mused. She managed to raise her eyes and plaster an innocent smile on her face at the last second, when his head popped through the collar.

"I guess you made yourself comfortable. What did you pick?"

Rukia jumped, as if he'd actually caught her gaping a moment ago. She hadn't felt this inwardly disheveled in years. She sighed in exasperation and took a breath to regain her composure. It was like she was bursting at the seams with all of the feelings she tried so hard to conceal.

"You don't own anything good, and I gave up before choosing the best of the worst," Rukia flippantly replied, feeling a bit more like herself upon making the jab.

Scowling, Ichigo flopped down on the sofa and grabbed the remote. He sat on the complete other end from Rukia. She had scooted right against the arm of the sofa with her knees against her chest. Rukia couldn't help but start to relax. This was one of the most comfortable sofas she'd ever sat on; it was like she was sitting among giant pillows. She felt safe with Ichigo too.

"I'll have you know that I have excellent taste in movies," he replied, staring at the blank screen.

Rukia only rolled her eyes. She hadn't seen most of the movie title she saw on his shelves and hoped he didn't want to have a debate or anything equally as asinine. Rukia hated pop culture elitists. She could care less. Ichigo only sighed.

"I guess it really doesn't matter. I doubt either of us are going to be able to stay awake until the end of a movie anyway. I'm actually pretty beat, Rukia. So, what do you want to do?" asked Ichigo, fidgeting nervously.

She desperately tried to think of anything besides "get in bed" for an answer. It was tempting to see how easy it would be for Ichigo to resign himself to sleeping on the sofa in his own room. But she didn't trust herself not to say something or say something in a way that would give away her inner thoughts before she knew his. Her current mood was too precarious to attempt the topic. Only shrugging, Rukia sighed, involuntarily rubbing her chilled arms.

As she was about to demand Ichigo adjust the thermostat, a blanket was thrown over her head. Ichigo only pretended not to pay attention to her, as usual. As she grabbed a handful of the fabric covering her face and yanked it off of her head, she simultaneously glared at Ichigo. He had finally turned to look at her. The sight of her staticky, tousled hair making him smile.

"Hey, how come your room looks like this?" Rukia inquired, eyebrow raised, challenging him to say anything about her apprearance. "You have horrible taste in decorating too. It kind of looks like you had someone come in and try to give you a non-sleazy bachelor pad."

Rukia tried to keep the offensive position and control of the conversation.

"Wow. I really should have brought you to my room sooner if I'd known you'd like it so much," Ichigo said, sarcastically rolling his eyes.

"Psh, like I would have come anyway," muttered Rukia, knowing it was more than loud enough for him to hear.

Ichigo ignored her commend, only narrowing his eyes.

"I didn't pick the decor, if you must know. This is the same room my grandfather had when he was a student. My dad decided to surprise me by having it decorated my freshman year. He has this horrible notion that I need all this in order to live up to his perverted notions of what guys should be doing at my age."

"Perverted notions? You mean like bring girls here? I know you _said_ that you don't sneak girls into your room after curfew... but all the rumors. You must say that to all the girls. Do you bring girls back before curfew and send them home? That's despicable. But, I mean, how else would you deflower so many girls?" said Rukia, raising her eyebrow, daring him to challenge her speculations.

Ichigo turned to face her with a full on scowl as she speculated. Rukia couldn't even believe some of what was coming out of her mouth. Apparently, she couldn't help but be horribly insulting when she got nervous. The fact that she normally loved getting under his skin didn't help either. Still, insulting him was better than what she really wanted – to lunge across the sofa and press her lips against his.

"You can stop right there. Why won't you just believe me? I _do not _bring girls up to my room before _or _after curfew, and I _have not _deflowered or come close to deflowering anyone. Who even says 'deflower'?"

"It's very much a part of the contemporary vernacular," Rukia defended. "And you can't blame me when you're the one with the reputation."

She had a feeling that the direction she took the conversation would definitely not lead to any sort of confession from Ichigo or at least any hint that he really did think of her like that.

"Never mind. Ah, you're actually the first girl that I've brought to my room that isn't one of my _very_ _platonic_ friends."

"But the rumors ...," Rukia continued disbelievingly, Momo's words echoing in her mind.

"Yeah, it's easier to just go with it rather than spend all of my time disputing them, especially when no one is going to think I'm doing anything but trying to be gentlemanly and modest by denying them. It's the girls that start them, and all they do is make me more popular. I've given up trying to deny it and just don't confirm or deny anything."

"Why don't you just not go out on dates with girls in the first place, so they can't start the rumors? That would make the most sense."

"Well, it's all really bothersome either way, especially considering how boring most of the dates with these girls are. But even going on countless boring dates is easier than continually rejecting invitations and having them try to stalk me. They usually leave me alone for a while after an awkward dinner. And I have to admit that it's gotten kind of fun for my friends. They help me come up with tactful ways to end the dates, since I can't really get food poisoning every single Friday night."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

"Yeah, but it's also kind of funny that these girls believe some of the stuff we come up with. Last time I got a call from Rangiku urgently calling me to the hospital after Tatsuki fell on a pair of chopsticks. I still can't believe the girl didn't question it. Another time I said I had to leave to console Chad after his goldfish abruptly died without warning."

"Girls are so silly, but you're pretty stupid yourself. I'd never believe anything like that, because I'm not a totally brainless moron."

Ichigo sighed loudly and turned toward Rukia.

"Yeah. At least I'm not going to have to worry about you trying to spread rumors like that. You don't seem anything like those fluffy airheads. I actually like spending time with you."

"Really?" Rukia asked in a small voice, not wanting to come out and ask.

"Really," confirmed Ichigo, his scowl softening into a smile. "It was so nice to be able to tell that girl at the party that I was already with someone. I mean, technically I was at the party with you, right?

"Well, it's not like this is one of your dates," Rukia replied glumly, looking away.

"No, this is nothing like that. You know, I think this is the longest evening I've ever spent with a girl before doing everything I can do to get away from her."

"Yeah, I but I'm only here for the stupid bet. You're right; spending time with me is nothing like being on a date."

Rukia felt like she was going to cry, saying it out loud. Inwardly, she steeled herself in preparation for what she was sure his answer would be.

"The bet? Umm... there's probably something I should tell you about the bet, now that you're about to become the first girl to have ever slept in my room and all," Ichigo said, starting to look nervous and scratching his head. "But you've probably sort of guessed what I'm going to say already."

"What? Just tell me. I can take it."

He seemed to be thinking about what to say. Rukia started to feel nauseas, imagining he was figuring out how to let her down easy. She was curious about the bet. However, she was afraid of what he would say, now that she fully admitted to herself that she cared. Rukia ached for Ichigo to confess undying love to her. Unfortunately, she doubted that would ever happen. She didn't believe that she was that lucky.

"Well, your friends are pretty easy to manipulate when they're all worked up. I don't think they realized this. Tatsuki and Uryu totally goaded them into betting you, and I couldn't lose after that. I wanted to make you spend time with me, and this felt like my last chance."

"Why would you do that? And how were you so sure that you'd win? There was a lot at stake for Renji and Shuuhei! I don't understand why you would do that just to spend time with me when I thought you hated me."

"Hated? So you think really that I still hate you now?"

Rukia was bewildered. Her lip started to quiver until she held it still with her teeth. She would not admit that she didn't want him to hate her. She couldn't be the first one to say it and leave herself open like that. It would only bring humiliation and intensify the pain she already felt in her chest.

Ichigo leaned over and put his hand on top of hers on the sofa cushion. Rukia gasped and rose her head, eyes wide with shock. She met his fiery eyes. He looked serious. Her mind went blank as he began to speak, nothing but his words running through her mind.

"First of all, I never thought about losing. I had to win, because I wanted you. Just because I don't go around picking fights doesn't mean that I can't fight. I mean, I have to be able to protect what's important to me. I mean,... ah... err... I've... well... it's... I... gah!"

Ichigo broke eye contact and looked away nervously. His eyes wide with panic, Ichigo smashed the palm of his free to his forehead in consternation.

"Just say it, idiot! Making me wait like this is horrible! I can't take it!"

Rukia fought a losing battle to keep her face blank and used her free hand to slap the back of his head in frustration. If she wasn't sitting, she would have kicked him as hard as she could. Ichigo's eyes snapped back to meet hers, after widening in surprise. His hand tightened it's grip on hers, as if to give himself confidence.

"I... well, I have always secretly loved running into you and fighting with you. You were just so different, nothing like other girls. But I just couldn't go up and talk to you for some reason. Everytime I would try to... I... I couldn't help but say something to make you angry."

Ichigo paused, turning red. Almost like leaning in to hear an intriguing story, Rukia had scooted over inch by inch, until she sat almost in the middle of the sofa, staring at Ichigo with wide, disbelieving eyes. If she didn't know any better, she would swear he was confessing to her, but that would be beyond absurd! Everything about the two of them was absurd!

"So what?! Do you mean that it wasn't just to constantly fight with me, humiliate me, torture me?! Why won't you just say it, you fool?! Could you actually...," Rukia began to scream in frustration.

Ichigo smirked, regaining his confidence instantly upon hearing the subtle pleading beneath the frustration and panic in her voice. He swiftly encircled her waist and pulled her onto his lap. She let out a surprised squeak, but didn't speak a word or make a move to protest. Almost as if he was afraid to hesitate, Ichigo crashed his lips onto hers as soon they were close enough to reach.

Her mind went blank. Rukia couldn't do anything but moan into his mouth and melt into his firey kiss, tears falling. She reached up to grab handfuls of his orange hair to pull him closer and opened her mouth at the swipe of his tongue, his taste and heat mingling with her own salty tears. Rukia felt her entire body tingle and burn. The clothes that had made her feel exposed moments ago suddenly felt like a snowsuit. She couldn't get close enough.

The feel of Rukia wiggling her hips to slide further onto his lap made Ichigo groan with pleasure. The hand he still had on her waist snaked its way under the t-shirt she was wearing at her lower back, his fingers kneading softly up her spine on her bare skin, pulling her closer. Rukia arched her back, pressing into his chest. Her breath caught in her throat, as she threw her head back with a gasp. Breath catching at the sight, Ichigo nuzzled her neck before trailing kisses down the side of her exposed neck.

After roughly pulling the t-shirt aside to kiss her shoulder, he grabbed the back of her head with his other hand and reclaimed her lips. She grabbed two handfuls of his orange locks and ravenously crushed her lips against his. Ichigo abruptly broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, causing Rukia to mewl in disapproval. Panting and flushed, Ichigo and Rukia grinned and looked into each others eyes.

"How was that for feisty?" Rukia grinned, surprised she could even manage to form words.

Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Ichigo's skin felt feverish against her own cool, pale skin. Her skin that wanted to crawl off of her body.

"Rukia, I love you."

"What?" Rukia squeaked with simultaneous elation and disbelief.

"I never want to spend time with any other girl, knowing that I could even just be arguing with you instead. I... only ever want you. You are the most amazing girl in existence," said Ichigo with the most serious, determined eyes she'd ever seen. "I love you. I love you. I always have and always will love you, Rukia."

Rukia didn't know what was happening to her. All of a sudden she started crying uncontrollably, still grinning. She wasn't even the kind of girl to cry in the first place, and now she was crying for the second time within minutes when nothing was even wrong.

"This is all your fault," Rukia accused, slapping Ichigo on the back of the head again.

"Owww! What the... Rukia! Are you alright?" Ichigo finished in a whisper, bringing a hand up to wipe away her tears.

"I'm not sure," Rukia wailed. "I was just so happy that you said you love me and suddenly started crying. I don't do stuff like this. This is all your fault!"

"Happy? So, does that mean you feel the same way?" Ichigo asked, looking nervous, despite their kiss.

"Don't be stupid, strawberry! Of course I do! I love you, Ichigo!"

Rukia screamed her answer at him, still crying and grinning. She hit in upside the head again to drive the message home before throwing her arms around his neck. Ichigo held her as close as he could with a dopey grin to match hers.

"Oh, Rukia..."

After a few minutes of just holding each other as close as possible, they started to relax, crashing from their surges of adrenaline. Ichigo let his arms slide down her body to loosely hold her waist. Rukia rested her head on his shoulder. She suddenly felt so sleepy.

"Nothing made sense, but now... That explains why your friends treated me more like your girlfriend and not part of a bet. It was like they didn't know anything about the bet when I knew for sure that they did. And everything that Momo said."

"Even my friends wouldn't be as nice as they have been if they didn't really like you too."

"This is going to be a scandal when everyone else finds out, you know. By everyone else, I mean your fan girls."

"I've seen what the girls have been doing to you. Orihime didn't even realize that it was you in her ballet class until she saw you at the dance, but she told me about it then. We won't let anyone mess with you. Now that you know I'm crazy about you, it will be easier to deflect the assassination attempts. And my friends will have your back too, now that we all expect it. You really do belong to me now, you know. Well, only if you want to."

Rukia lifted her head off Ichigo's shoulder and met his eyes with her own.

"Idiot. You are so full of yourself. I'm not your property, but of course I want to be yours," Rukia rolled her eyes, still grinning. Didn't I say that I can take care of myself? I just... "

As her words trailed off, Rukia's thoughts drifted briefly to the Kuchiki family and what they expected of her, but she pushed the thoughts from her mind before they could sour her mood.

"Psh, that doesn't mean you can't let your friends get your back sometimes. You are anything but weak, especially when you beat me. And I think being full of myself is alright if it means you'll have to get all feisty and assert your dominance to keep me in line," Ichigo quickly kissed her before continuing. "I can think of something even more fun than how shocked everyone will be when they find out, though."

"What?" Rukia asked confusedly.

She blushed at what he said about liking her being feisty and dominant. Ichigo liked everything about her that _they_ were trying to change.

"If we don't say anything and keep up the ruse of just spending time together for the bet. Then, we use all the pent up excitement from all of our fights to run off and secretly make out."

"That's the stupidest... Well, that actually does kind of sound like fun, especially the part about making out whenever we're alone," Rukia agreed with a naughty grin.

"Great. It's a plan that we can start tomorrow, then."

"Uh, we aren't going to try to fool your friends are we? I think they might already know."

"Of course, my friends already know. In fact, I think they'd be surprised if this hadn't happened. They were so sure that you liked me, or at least that's what they said after the dance."

"And they made it clear that they thought your were taking me on dates. Momo even insinuated that I knew full well that the bet was just some kinky foreplay thing."

"Meh, that sounds like something the two of them would think up. Toshiro and Momo are both deceptively quiet; watch out. Hmm... You know, I think I'm going to head to bed and take you with me." His grin vanished as Rukia punched him hard in the chest.

"Absolutely not! Just because you've confessed and I've agreed to a scandalous and exciting secret relationship, don't think I'm going to jump into bed with you! What kind of girl do you think I am!? I knew you were just trying to sleep with me!"

Rukia hoped off his lap indignantly. It would have been more effective if she hadn't still been smiling.

"Y-you've got the wrong idea," Ichigo cringed and waved his hands in front of him defensively. "I'm tired. I don't want to try anything."

"You don't even want to make a move, but I thought you loved me?" Rukia asked, faking offense.

"Well, it's not like I don't _want _to try anything. It's just that I'm not like that; I mean, I don't just want that. I only meant going to sleep, not _that_. I really am tired, and I really do love you!"

Rukia didn't think it was physically possible for Ichigo's face to get any redder. This was great!

"In that case, what are you waiting for. After being dragged shopping with your friends and that party, I don't even know how I'm standing up right now. Now, which bed in yours?"

Relieved, Ichigo grabbed her hand before turning out the light.

*******

A/N: Sorry for the super late, barely even still Sunday post. My boyfriend didn't end up having to go into work today and made me do yard work during my designated computer time :( Also, I'll get caught up on my review replies tomorrow morning. I should be alright for another post on Tuesday or Wednesday, par the usual.

One thing I do want to say in my author note is that I know Rukia has seemed like a weak damsal in distress recently, but I never have intended and do not intend to have her be a damsal in distress in my overall story by any means. All the recent events for Rukia and the guilt she still carries regarding Hisana came together to put her under emotional duress. When exactly what happened when Hisana died is explained in detail, her unappealing emotional (and resulting social) state that climaxed last chapter will make a bit more sense.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not, never have, and (sadly) never will own Bleach.

**CHAPTER ELEVEN – posted 06/10**

Rukia felt sun on her face as she wondered why her alarm clock hadn't gone off. She briefly opened her eyes as she stretched. She snaked her arms over her head, hooking her thumbs, and even wiggled her toes. It was a full body stretch, and it felt so good. She slipped one leg from the covers, reaching for the floor with her big toe, only to find air. Frowning, Rukia extended further, feeling for the floor that should be there.

By the time Rukia had an inkling of what was happening, she had already slithered her butt off of the edge in stretching to reach the floor. Rukia twisted the top of her body around to frantically grab at anything to stop her from falling. Unfortunately, the sheets weren't very well anchored. With a squeaking yelp, a stunned Rukia landed on the floor in a heap, blanket and top sheet covering her.

Bolting upright and ripping the bedclothes from her head, Rukia looked around, blowing hair from her eyes. Her alarm clock hadn't gone off, because she wasn't in her own room. Her bed had never been that far from the floor. She had fallen from the top of a set of bunked beds. It didn't hurt as much as she would have expected, she thought. The fall startled Rukia more than anything else. Panic started to set in, but then she remembered the night before.

Rukia remembered how it felt to fall asleep wrapped in Ichigo's arms. Just remembering made her feel like she'd suddenly been enveloped in the single most comfortable blanket in the universe. The real Ichigo surpassed just sleeping in his sweatshirt. She had been in Ichigo's room in Ichigo's bed with Ichigo when she fell asleep, so now where was Ichigo?

Standing up and stretching once more, the panic started to set in again. She was going to have to somehow make it back to her room inside of another dorm building. Momo would certainly be home to open the door for her, but that wasn't the problem. There was no way in hell Rukia was putting anything from last night back on. That left her with Ichigo's t-shirt, Ichigo's boxers, no shoes, no undergarments, and hair that screamed "I didn't sleep in my own room last night."

Walking across the school in her secret boyfriend's clothing was so not an option. Rukia groaned and forced herself to take a few deep breaths. She would handle this one step at a time. Step one: go see what she can do with her hair and rub some toothpaste in her mouth. Just having a step one made her feel better. Now, she just had to figure out what step two was before she was done with step one.

Before she could even initiate step one, Rukia heard the click of a key in the lock, eyes orienting on the turning knob. Grinning, she ducked back under the blanket. There she lay in wait, watching whom she knew without a doubt to be Ichigo remove his shoes and pad towards her hiding place.

"Rukia?"

She stifled a giggle, as she patiently waiting for her prey to take one last step. In a flash, her hands shot out to clutch his ankle, like a zombie reaching out of the ground. To her delight, he screamed like a little girl, waving his arms. Ichigo fell with a thud, followed by the second thud of a gym bag he must have been carrying hitting him on the head.

"Muwahahaha!" Rukia laughed, clutching her stomach, as she flung the bedclothes away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled, barely able to keep frowning upon seeing the laughing, sleep disheveled Rukia.

Not waiting for her to answer, he pounced. Rukia suddenly found herself flat on the floor, with Ichigo on top of her, pinning her arms. Instinctively, she struggled, her knee poised to make Ichigo howl in agony, until her eyes met amber.

"Hey there," Ichigo said with a warm smile.

"Hey yourself," Rukia said, matching his smile with one of her own.

"I was trying to get back before you woke up."

Ichigo leaned back onto his knees to throw the dark reddish brown retro leather duffel that had landed on his head before onto the couch. With a grin, he turned back to Rukia, who had been starting to sit up. Without warning, Ichigo captured her lips with his own and had her wrapped in his arms. Mmm .... maybe with a little planning these sleepovers can be more common, she thought, leaning into the kiss.

"There's a problem," Rukia stated gravely, remembering her situation.

Ichigo had been leaning in for another kiss, but stopped when he sighted the serious look on her face. At first he looked concerned, then smirked.

"You mean the fact that it's impossible for you to make it back to your room -- dignity intact – without any of your own clothes or shoes and that adorable case of bed-head?"

"Well, yeah."

Rukia looked away, blushing at his comment about her hair. Inside, she squealed with joy.

"Not a problem. I already thought of that and paid Momo and Toshiro a visit in your room to grab you some things."

"Does anyone know I slept in your room?"

"I even remembered to outwardly pretended like I was coming over to find that my slave had already escaped to the library while Momo packed my duffel for you."

"Did she know I was here or did you tell her?"

"I kind of filled her in on what happened last night, so you should have everything you need to look like your usually gorgeous self. They probably would have figured it out with me coming to get you clothes and all though. I think she even thought to pack your mobile to call Tatsuki for your purse and keys, although I would just hope to see her when we go for breakfast. She is one person you don't want to wake up before she's willing."

After shuddering at the thought of being party to waking Tatsuki up early, Ichigo only grinned at the look of astonishment on Rukia's face. He was obviously proud of himself. Suddenly, Rukia's belly rumbled loudly, causing her to blush.

"I guess I'd better get ready so we can grab some cereal or something. My stomach feels like it's so empty a black hole has formed," Rukia said while rubbing her belly.

It didn't take Rukia too long to get ready. She had never been one of those girls. She wouldn't even know what to do to herself to take that long in the first place. Just as Ichigo said, Momo had thought of everything she could possibly need and a few things she didn't need but definitely wanted. Before exiting the bathroom, Rukia took a last look in the mirror. Rukia couldn't have packed the bag better herself. Momo is amazing.

Her hair was up in a pony tail, since she didn't want to wash it all over again or spend a lot of time on it, trying to flatten it. She did her usual subtle make up with faintly modish eyes. Momo had picked out jeans, a blue long-sleeved, tissue-soft t-shirt that came down to hug her her hips, and some black ballet flats. Lastly, she pulled on a light black pull-over, three-quarter sleeve sweater with a zipper that angled almost over her shoulder. Perfect!

"Finally! I thought you'd be quicker when you said how hungry you were."

Ichigo instantly got up and strode quickly for the door. Right as he past Rukia, he grabbed her in his arms and pressed her against the wall in a passionate kiss. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. Ichigo reluctantly put her down.

"You're beautiful. I couldn't leave without doing that, especially now that I can. Let's go get breakfast."

He kept his eyes closed, resting his forehead on hers. Rukia's breath had quickened, and her attention shifted away from her stomach.

"Breakfast? What's breakfast? I'm sure it can wait," Rukia groaned, running her hands over Ichigo's chest.

"It's only served for another half hour, and I just told Chad that we'd meet everyone down there in a few minutes. Besides, we've got things to do today. Believe it or not, I already have a surprise for my girlfriend."

Rukia shivered with pleasure at being called his girlfriend, Ichigo's girlfriend. Kurosaki Ichigo wanted her enough to stake his claim on her. She was sure feminists were rolling in their graves right now, as she delighted in her status as his property; however, Rukia knew her thoughts weren't a gateway to voluntary oppression. She knew that she didn't need his protection, but she reveled in knowing that she meant enough to him for him to want to.

Ichigo opened his eyes and grabbed the door knob, forcing himself not to grin like an idiot as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall. He never thought it would be so difficult to scowl. Halfway there, he even had to stuff his hands in his pockets to keep from grabbing Rukia's hand after he involuntarily brushed hers with his own for the umpteenth time, which Rukia noticed with a smile.

Rukia always ate an early breakfast on Sundays and was surprised to see the courtyard packed. She never saw a crowd and assumed that everyone elected to skip right to lunch, but it looks like she is just one of the only people who never sleeps in. Instead of going straight to his usual table and leaving Rukia to get both of their meals, Ichigo waved at Tatsuki as he headed for the food line.

"I'll get your breakfast. You can just go find the table."

"I thought we were keeping up the act." Rukia whispered, stopping him momentarily with a hand on his forearm.

"We are. I just don't think that you'll be able to pick me out something I'd actually like to eat. Some of us aren't weird vegetarians like you. I bet you wouldn't know what a good breakfast looked like if it bit you on the ass."

Ichigo didn't even turn around, but she could hear him smirk. Rukia stuck her tongue out at Ichigo behind his back and turned to find their table. Almost immediately, she heard Orihime call out her name and wave her over. Rukia smiled and tried not to run on her way over, chatting with Orihime as she pulled out her chair.

She failed to see that Shuuhei was sitting two tables away and had his eyes on her from the moment she came in. His eyes flicked from one to the other, examining their expressions, chewing slowly. When he saw her place a hand casually on his arm, his eyes widened. Suddenly he jerked back, startled by the bite of sausage that missed his mouth and tried for his nose instead.

"Here you go. I got you a banana, a fruit cup, and some Greek style yogurt. If you want any of my food, help yourself," Ichigo said.

She looked at his breakfast, as he set her items in front of her. Even though Ichigo made it sound like he wanted a plate piled high with sausage and other meaty breakfast items, he selected a bowl of healthy cereal, a cheese danish, and two bananas of his own. Rukia eyed his choices with a raised eyebrow, and he just shrugged.

"Maybe I don't want to put up with your disgusted looks while I'm eating my sausage. Your regular face is bad enough without you adding any funny looks to it."

Ichigo stuck his tongue out at her this time. Rukia just smiled, making sure to take a big bite of his cereal before he could pick up the spoon. Chewing with her mouth full, she looked like a smug, happy chipmunk. Rukia tried to whine around a mouth full of food and ended up flicking Ichigo off, cheeks still stuffed.

Although she wasn't sure if it would be noticeable to any onlookers. They would never act like a typical boyfriend and girlfriend, secret relationship or not. Rukia didn't really want to, but she had a feeling that neither did Ichigo. They both knew what every jab and tease really meant. She did wish that she could have held his hand on the way here though.

"Yo, Ichigo, Rukia."

Chad offered a characteristically simple greeting, as he took the seat next to Ichigo. Uryu and Ichigo teamed up to remind Chad about an incident involving the robot and a lampshade. Orihime jumped on the opportunity to talk to Rukia without the guys overhearing.

"Not that we're assuming anything, but I happen to know that Toshiro spent the night in Momo's room last night... and from the blush on his face, I don't think you was there to spoil the mood, if you know what I mean," Orihime said, looking at Rukia expectantly.

"Huh, I don't know what you're talking about?" said Rukia, blinking her eyes innocently.

As Rangiku walked up, she simultaneously slid her tray onto the table and grabbed the cheese danish Ichigo had smugly procured for himself and was about to take a bite out of. He looked on in horror as she proceeded to thoroughly lick the back before carefully returning it to it's place in his hand. Ichigo dropped it onto his tray and turned to glare at her.

"What did you do that for?!"

"Oh, Ichigo! There weren't any cheese danishes left when I looked, so can I have yours? It doesn't look like you're going to eat it," Rangiku inquired casually, pretending not to notice his outrage.

"What the hell, Rangiku? You already freaking licked it!"

Rukia tried not to laugh while Ichigo seethed.

"That's a definite yes. By the way, Orihime is right. You two need to spill the beans. Rukia, you swooned after Ichigo's heroic performance and he whisked you off to his room where he told you just how you could thank him ... all night long. Am I right?" Rangiku speculated with a suggestive wiggling of her eyebrows.

The danish incident was suddenly no longer funny. Rukia knew her severe blush was giving them away, especially when she couldn't deny her whereabouts last night. She couldn't even take pleasure in Rangiku poking Ichigo in the arm with a fork when she said his name. All Rukia could think about was what had happened between them last night, even the things that had only happened in her head.

"Oi! What kind of perverted guy do you think I am?! I would never suggest _that_ to Rukia! That sounds more like something _you_ would suggest."

"Psh, we all know that I'm a just an enormous tease with no real follow through," she replied with a shrug. "But you, Ichigo, should have a lot of pent up energy that I'm sure you'd love to have Rukia help you release."

Rangiku fought to keep a straight face when she saw his eyes widen and flick briefly to Rukia. Ichigo looked like he was about to pass out from embarrassment, as he rubbed the arm that had been stabbed with Rangiku's fork. Luckily, Rukia had recovered enough to answer as well. Unfortunately, she also couldn't resist seeing Ichigo thoroughly embarrassed in a different way.

"That's right, I was with Ichigo all night in his room! Ichigo was a perfect gentlemen all night. He carried me all the way back in his arms and let me shower and stay in his room, since Tatsuki had my keys in her room. Ichigo even saved me from a walk of shame this morning by going to my room to get these clothes for me while I was still soundly asleep," Rukia said, blinking her eyes rapidly and sighed dramatically before continuing. "He even confessed his undying love to me and begged me never to leave his side!"

She leaned back in her chair with a smile, pleased that she handled the situation with such aplomb.

"Th-th-they didn't need to know all that! And you're making it sound all sappy," Ichigo muttered as he slid down in his chair. "I never begged."

"Oh, Ichigo! That is sooo romantic. I didn't think you had it in you," Tatsuki said with an evil grin, obviously stifling laughter.

"Oh, did you have a talk with my darling Uryu for some tips on romance? And if you and Rukia do want to take _that _step, I'm sure Uryu could give you some amazing tips there too! Last night we were more uninhibited from the party and tried..."

Orihime unwittingly gave Ichigo a companion to share in his embarrassment, as Uryu matched his blush.

"Orihime! Stop right there! Don't ever talk about things like that again! It's like girls have no idea what you do and don't say around other people!" Uryu yelled in panic.

He was clearly afraid of what Orihime would say if she continued. It was funny seeing the usually composed Uryu in such a panic. It even lightened Ichigo's mood a touch.

"Yeah, I'm a girl and that was all definitely more than I ever need to know, Orhime," Tatsuki said, backing Uryu up.

Tatsuki prayed she would never end up like Rukia, Orihime, or Rangiku. Never could she imagine herself ever swooning over anything or anyone. Additionally, she liked that kind of private life to stay private, although she now knew where to go if she needed any advice.

"I bet Chad and I are the only ones at this table capable of keeping things like that to ourselves."

Chad nodded in unnecessary affirmation of his ability to stay silent. He was a man of less than few words.

"Well, before we take pity on you boys and drop the topic of your scandalous love lives, I think I need to point something out," Rangiku began.

"Oh, no. This is never good," groaned Ichigo to no one in particular, as Rangiku continued without pause.

"Now that Toshiro and Momo have suddenly gotten _a lot_ more serious, I think that Ichigo and Rukia are going to have to let them have the room to themselves at night on a regular basis. That means that these two are going to need some tips on sneaking around.

"Uryu, you and Orihime are so good at sneaking around. I mean, you could totally be sex ninjas! Well, except for Orihime's screaming... and don't be afraid to share some of _those _tips with Ichigo too, since he had a hard enough time getting together with Rukia in the first place. Let's face it, he might need all of our help to keep her."

All named parties stared at Rangiku in utter shock and embarrassment, except Orihime. She only blushed, lost in thinking about the ninja-like moves Uryu should recommend to Ichigo and Rukia. Chad and Tatsuki just looked the other way, both sincerely hoping to escape Rangiku's notice after the treatment of their comrades.

"Can you say _anything_ without making it as embarrassing as possible?!" Uryu objected with outrage.

"Not really," Rangiku deadpanned. "Moving on, did anyone see Chad doing the robot on that table out on the patio?! And who has made sure that Keigo is alive this morning? He to-otally lost our drinking contest, and I don't even have a hangover."

"Is she always like that?" Rukia whispered to Ichigo.

"Unfortunately, yes," Ichigo lamented.

Thankfully that was the height of embarrassing and awkward moments for everyone at the table. Rukia laughed along with all the jokes and decided she definitely wasn't going to tell her brother about the bet. In fact, she should be thanking her two friends for giving Ichigo an opening. She wouldn't actually thank them of course, but perhaps she could try to introduce Shuuhei to Rangiku and just not kill Renji.

What no one, especially Rukia and Ichigo, noticed was that Eriko sat only a few tables away from them. She creepily stared at them, seething at how he left the party with _her_ and how _she _was sitting at his table laughing along with his friends. Luckily, she couldn't hear a word of the group's brunch conversation, and the thought of Rukia staying in Ichigo's room was inconceivable to her.

Eriko thought back to every single one of Ichigo's dates, of which she personally or through one of her trusted lackeys with a camera watched every single one. This did not fit the usual pattern. She didn't understand what was happening, but she knew that she didn't like it. Her plan last night hadn't worked at all. The guys had only gotten beaten within an inch of their lives, leaving Rukia unscathed.

*****

A/N: Thanks again to my reviewers! Replying to each review individually is working out, although I get behind at times -- sorry! Thanks for that suggestion anaime7 and SeraphinaDonna;) I'll update again on Friday, per my usual pattern. Even though it won't help me for Friday, my sister has graduation this Saturday, so I should have some great fodder for banter after that. Ah, the only bright side of a long, boring, time-consuming ceremony.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

**CHAPTER TWELVE – posted 06/12**

"Are you still wondering what the surprise I have for you is?"

Ichigo discreetly nudged Rukia with his shoulder as she walked through the courtyard with him. Rukia glanced at him from the corner or her eye. She could tell that he was itching to be able to hold her hand and a corner of her mouth tugged upward.

The tension thrummed in the air around them. Knowing it would be worth it, neither could wait to finally be alone in the privacy of one of their rooms later. Of course there was the whole secret relationship thing. Rukia also loved watching Ichigo squirm, especially when she knew why.

"Oh, umm... actually... I had so much fun during breakfast that I kind of forgot you said that you had a surprise for me today," she awkwardly replied, smile failing to materialize.

Rukia knew that she at least looked as guilty as she felt, even though only her feet could see her expression at the moment.

"Ouch, that hurts, but I know you'll feel extra sorry when you see what the surprise is. In fact, I think you might like it so much that you'll beg me to let you thank me ... 'all night long.' Sounds good, huh?"

Ichigo smirked, quoting Rangiku from earlier. Unfortunately, his joke only garnered a punch to the arm. Regardless, he couldn't help grinning.

"Idiot. Stop being a pervert, strawberry! I demand that you give me my surprise now."

"Sorry. Not possible."

Rukia responded with another punch to his arm, harder this time. After being dragged to his morning training sessions, she had a strong feeling she wasn't actually hurting him all that much. Reservations absolved!

"Stop that! I just can't bring the surprise _to_ you," he said, wincing as she lifted her fist again, "but I _am_ about to take you to the surprise."

He turned in the direction of what Rukia knew to be the library and confidently kept walking. Being next to her and knowing she felt the same way put his chest on the verge of explosion. It even felt good when she hit him. However, something tugged at the corner of his consciousness, but he couldn't bring himself to concentrate with perfect Rukia beside him.

Rukia ran through the possibilities for her surpirse. What kind of surprise could Ichigo have for her in the library that he was so sure she'd like? Rukia spent more time in the library than any other student. It was a given that she liked the library and it's contents, but nothing in the library could surprise her. Everything in the library belonged to the academy and wasn't his to give in the first place.

"Ichigo, the library?" she asked, frowning. "Did you put the surprise there or is it something that belongs in the library?"

"Just wait. You'll see what the surprise is. I promise that you'll absolutely love it," Ichigo grinned and fought the urge to walk faster.

He led her to the top floor, her favorite floor. This only confused Rukia more. She knew every inch of this floor in particular. Maybe he had his parents purchase her study table from the school? That wouldn't be a very exciting surprise, albeit sort of thoughtful. He only occasionally glanced over, smirking, making her worry that she would have to disappoint him with her reaction.

"Believe it or not, I know all about how you come up here every chance you get." Ichigo casually revealed. "I love watching how comfortable you get up here."

"So that's how you knew... Wait, you watch me? That's pretty creepy."

Ichigo stopped walking and turned to Rukia, eyes widening nervously. She stared back at him with an accusatory raised eyebrow.

"Well, I mean... Uh, I'm not a stalker or anything. I just linger just for a moment while passing by...," said Ichigo, scratching his head while his voice trailed off.

Her look clearly conveyed her disbelief, despite her half smile. The half smile let Ichigo know that she didn't really believe he was a creepy stalker.

"And I never even noticed you on that floor? You were totally spying on me, like some kind of pervert," she said, as Ichigo avoided eye contact.

"I am _not _a creepy pervert watching you study and thinking all sorts of dirty thoughts," he said in a firm voice.

Ichigo scowled and turned away down an aisle.

"Yeah, I probably would have tried to kick you down the stairs for interrupting me and invading my sanctuary," she flippantly replied with a grin at her success in how awkward he felt.

He led her to what Rukia knew was just an average corner – the meeting of two walls covered entirely with bookshelves and seldom used books. Yep, there was nothing in this corner. Was her surprise an old book? Or was it...

"Ewww... Ichigo! This is a horrible surprise. I am not making out with you in the library!" she hissed, not really believing her own words.

"Definitely not."

Ichigo turned to grin widely at her and crouched down to the floor. Rukia sighed and frowned, hoping an old stolen library book couldn't actually be her surprise. She didn't want to accept that Ichigo could possibly be that inept at giving presents.

"This will be easier for you, since you're so close to the floor to begin with," he casually commented, eliciting a glare and smack to the back of his head.

After pausing to rub his head, he reached over with his left hand to press onto a carving at the juncture of the bookshelves only a few feet off of the floor, while reaching into the shelf itself and appearing to simultaneously pull on something at the very back with his right. Rukia stood aghast when a section of the shelf the size of a small door soundlessly swung inward, as he applied light pressure to the bookshelf.

"What the..."

Smirking at her, he ducked inside, eyes mysteriously dancing.

"Hurry up and follow me in before someone sees us. I'll explain once we're inside."

Ichigo led Rukia up a small flight of spiral stairs onto what could only be the roof. Head clearing the top step, Rukia found herself in what looked like a round, modest reading room. There was an old, yet obviously comfortable leather sofa in the middle that didn't exude masculinity like the one in Ichigo's room.

The sofa was turned opposite the stairs they just ascended and toward several large windows that swung open at the bottom, overlooking the rest of campus. A delicate, antique floor lamp and side table accompanied the sofa. Finally, a small study desk that was distinctly feminine was situated between two of the windows diagonal from the sofa.

"I think that you should use this room when you really want to escape. Unfortunately, I use it too, so you won't be able to get away from me."

"But how?! What is this place?"

"Well, I don't tell anyone about this, because I don't like to talk about it. My mom used to go to this school. She actually met my dad in one of the clinics around here while he was interning and she was still a student. Her side of the family has a legacy here, obviously not under the name Kurosaki.

"Anyways, this room was built as a present for my great great grandmother when she went here and my mom's family had this library built. We're in one of the 'decorative' torrents on the roof. All of them are as empty as they're meant to appear, except for this one."

Ichigo walked over to one of the windows and raised a hand to the glass. He gazed off into the distance as he continued, his voice momentarily faltering.

"My mom loved coming to the library. She brought me here when I was small and read to me. She told me about how it had always been her secret haven, even after she graduated and attended the nearby university.

"I first read Shakespeare when I found her books here. I come up here sometimes when I really want to get away from everything, and I thought that you might appreciate this as much as she and I," Ichigo said.

He turned back towards her and smiled softly, melancholy absent. She thought that perhaps she imagined the sadness in his voice a moment ago. She resisted the urge to ask him why he made it sound like his mother never came anymore. All Rukia could do was attack him with a hug.

"This place is right out of a book! I mean a secret room! It's only my first day as your girlfriend, Ichigo," she said into the front of his shirt. "You should have made that bet sooner. I mean how can you outdo a top secret library hideout? Do you know how _perfect_ this present is?"

"Kind of. Yeah," he said with a smirk, locking her gaze.

"Well, you've given yourself quite a challenge for all the other presents you're going to get me," she teased with a sly grin, still clinging to him. "They'll all be compared to this."

"It's nothing to worry about. I love a challenge." Ichigo smiled as he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Rukia, _his_ _girlfriend_. "And I still have a few surprises that you don't know about."

He actually hadn't thought of it like that and didn't have any other surprises. Shit. He knew she was joking and didn't put that kind of emphasis on presents... or at least he thought she was and didn't. Shit. Ichigo's smile started to falter. Uryu never seemed worried about presents for Orihime. Maybe he shouldn't have called this a present. Shit.

"Now, I think that we should go back to your room, so you can suggest ways for me to thank you."

Rukia giggled at the shocked, yet eager, look on Ichigo's face as he heard her words.

"You mean you're really going to thank me by...," Ichigo started, eyes wide and a bit hopeful.

Narrowing her eyes, Rukia cut him off with a laugh and delivered her hardest punch to date to the already sore spot on his arm.

"Fool! I never said that! I can't believe you would suggest that I would suggest anything like that. Pervert! I mean, I haven't even been your girlfriend for twenty-four hours! And I _am_ a Kuchiki, after all. It's not going to be that easy. "

"Well, I said that I loved a challenge, right?" Ichigo grinned at Rukia.

************ **

They had ended up repeating the make out session they had last night before and then some in Ichigo's room after coming from the library. Rukia planned on grabbing the duffel that Momo had packed with her things and heading straight to her room. Everything else packed, Rukia plucked her wildly blinking phone from a side pocket.

Her first thought was that her brother's assistant had left a message regarding the upcoming obligatory Kuchiki family event. She frowned, seeing that she, instead, had thirty missed calls and that all were from either Renji or Shuuhei. Actually, pretty much all of them were from Renji. She dared not see how many of those calls resulting in a voice message; she hated listening to messages.

Their imaginations must be running rampant with what could have happened to her. She should have looked around for them at breakfast. Her frown deepened into a scowl of Ichigo proportion as she remembered Renji seeing her tipsy and dancing with Ichigo last night. If Renji had been in the cafeteria, he would have made sure she knew. Sighing heavily, Rukia turned to Ichigo.

"Ichigo, I think I have to give Renji and Shuuhei calls when we get back to my room to let them know I'm alright."

"Do they usually worry about you like that?"

"Never, but remember when we saw Renji at the party last night? He must have gotten together with Shuuhei and started speculating about what kind of perverted things you made me do last night with you." Rukia sighed, not looking forward to those calls.

"You mean like make out with you?" Ichigo grinned, thinking back to just a few minutes prior.

"I mean more like drug me and have your way with me," Rukia killed his mood.

"Well, let's go. I think I'd better go with you for moral support on this one."

"You don't have to. I can handle my friends," she sniffed. "Just because you want to help, doesn't mean that I need your help."

"Eh, I really want to see their reactions, since I'm assuming that you're going to tell them that you stayed in my room last night without my molesting you... ah, against your will. Are you going to tell them or make them wait out the bet?" Ichigo inquired calmly.

"Hmm... maybe you should come with me to absorb some of the shock," Rukia muttered.

Not sure exactly what she meant, he gave her an 'I'll do whatever you tell me to' shrug and waited for her to make a move. Rukia seemed calm, but Ichigo had a feeling she was masking her nerves with focusing on the task at hand. They had left his room and were walking down the hallway leading out of the boys' dormitory. Ichigo looked at Rukia out of the corner of his eye, hands laced behind his head.

"So, what have you decided to do?" Ichigo tentatively ventured.

"I'm not sure. I feel like I should just tell them what's really been going on, because they're my friends. It would be easier. But it would, also, be more fun to make them suffer through the entire four weeks of the bet thinking that I'm suffering on their behalf," Rukia considered.

"So you're going to...," he prompted.

"I guess I'm going to call them while I'm still undecided and see what I end up doing. I almost wish I could see them in person to see the looks on their faces if I end up telling them."

In between the language arts wing and a hallway to the girls' dormitory, Rukia and Ichigo were busy speculating her friends' reactions and grinning at each other. They were too wrapped up in each other to notice that an enraged Renji was sprinting towards them, Shuuhei trailing. Rukia was still grinning at Ichigo when a fist crossed her line of sight to send Ichigo flying into the wall.

"I knew you were some kind of depraved, manipulative, pervert! We'll settle the bet some other way if you think that we're going to allow you to take advantage of Rukia!" Renji huffed.

Ichigo never expected an ambush and had been focusing entirely on Rukia. He sat up from the ground, cradling the back of his head in one hand, pushing himself into his sitting position with the other.

"Rukia, are you alright? What exactly did he do to you?" Shuuhei put a hand on Rukia's shoulder and looked at her with grave concern.

"Nothing."

"I didn't think... I was confused when I saw... But Renji said…," Shuuhei gave up really trying to explain and went for the short, simple version. "Ah, we haven't been able to find you all morning and you haven't answered any calls. I was just worried."

"Asshole! What is wrong with you?! Stop!"

Rukia snd Shuuhei snapped their attention to Ichigo shouting at Renji from his position on the ground. They saw Ichigo blocking Renji's punch with the palm of the hand formerly cradling his head. Renji obviously forgot how badly Ichigo wiped the floor with him the last time they fought and shifted. Luckily, Ichigo didn't have any plans to beat up his girlfriend's best friend... this time.

"Like hell I'm going to stop!" Renji yelled back at Ichigo.

"Renji, what are you doing?!" Rukia shrieked, trying to grab the arm Renji had pulled back for another shot.

Not thinking clearly, Renji shook Rukia off of his arm, tossing her aside in the process.

"Rukia!" Ichigo cried out as he watched her tumble with wide eyes.

He reached out for her, but Renji's iron grip on his collar held him back. Shuuhei instantly ran to Rukia and slid an arm behind her shoulders, noting Ichigo's focus. Ichigo could have kept watching to make sure she was alright, but Renji took advantage of his distraction and used the opportunity to strike.

"Ichi ... go," Rukia mumbled.

She shook her head, as Shuuhei helped her to a sitting position. Raising her head, Rukia saw Ichigo with blood trickling from his nose. She hadn't expected Renji to be blinded enough with rage not to recognize her like that and she silently cursed herself for being careless. It only intensified her concern.

"Ichigo!"

Furious, Ichigo instantly gave up on his plan of not fighting back. He had to get to Rukia. Ichigo punched Renji in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and slackening his grip on Ichigo's shirt.

Ichigo lunged for Rukia, beyond worried and hating himself for not punching Renji out in the first place. He knelt in front of her and gripped her arm in one hand, the other cupping her cheek. Rukia turned into his hand but didn't break eye contact.

"Rukia, I'm sorry," Ichigo whispered with a frown, meeting her eyes. "I was trying not to fight, because he's your friend. I let you get hurt."

Ichigo brought a hand up to her face and cradled her jaw, running his thumb across her slightly parted lips.

"It was my own fault for thinking he would just stop. Worry about yourself. I'm not the one bleeding, you fool."

She grinned at him, shock from being tossed in the first place having completely dissipated.

"Keep your filthy hands off of her. You have no right to force her to have sex with you, you sick son of a bitch. She's not like that! I'm going to kill you!"

Renji got his breath back and exploded with rage. Before Renji could grab Ichigo wrench him from Rukia, Shuuhei stepped in his path and extended both arms to hold him back.

"Renji, calm down, _now_. Stop yelling," Shuuhei growled challengingly at Renji. "I told you before to calm down until you talked to Rukia."

Huffing with anger, Renji stopped moving forward and just seethed, shaking with rage.

"Get out of my way, Shuuhei," he said, tone not matching his hushed voice.

"I'm not sure he's forcing her to do anything. Let's just wait a minute. Isn't this the kind of thing her brother told you to work on if you wanted a job at his company after graduation?"

Shuuhei and Renji intently stared at each other, silently battling wills. Content that he wasn't about to be attacked, Ichigo turned back to Rukia, examining.

"Idiot. I said that I'm fine. You should be worried about all that blood on your face. I mean, what if you drip some on the clothes Momo went to all that trouble to pick out for me?" Rukia said with a smile.

Ichigo echoed with a smile of his own and pulled her to her feet. He knew full well that she was tough, but it didn't keep him from being concerned and wanting to personally ensure her safety.

"Of course you are. What was I thinking?" Ichigo said, smiling and scratching the back of his head.

While he was looking away abashedly, Rukia aggressively wiped cleaned up the blood and shoved a ball of fabric right up to his nose.

"You weren't, idiot. Now hold on to this and tilt your head back for a minute," Rukia commanded.

"I know what to do; I've had a bloody nose before. There won't even be a bruise. Hey, Rukia, where did this come from?" Ichigo asked, realizing he had no idea what he was holding on his nose or where the mystery ball of fabric came from.

"Oh, I just took off one of my socks."

"You shoved your sock in my face!? That was on your smelly, midget foot all morning!" Ichigo dropped the bloody sock and backed away in disgust.

"Don't be a baby. I mean, what else did I have, right? I'm wearing everything that was in the duffel."

Rukia stood with her hands on her hips, pointing to the duffel on the ground. Sure enough, one of her feet was bare, shoe lying to the side.

"But it was your _sock_!"

"So what? I couldn't let you keep looking like that."

"Excuse me! Sorry to interrupt your argument, but what the hell?!" Renji interrupted.

"What is your problem, Renji?" Rukia said, as she and Ichigo turned to face the reason why Ichigo had the bloody nose in the first place.

"Why did you have clothes in a duffel -- that obviously isn't yours? Why are you both using first names? Why did you let him touch you like that? Why are you being nice to this sleazy, deviant, conniving, molesting snake after I saw him all over you at the party? Why weren't you in your room this morning? Didn't you didn't sleep in your own bed last night? This was not part of the bet! You were supposed to just be his slave! You're just another girl to add to his list! Get away from him!"

The volume of Renji's voice escalated with each word of his implied accusations.

"Renji! Stop being a total asshat, and stop yelling! We are in the middle of the hallway right outside _my _dorm. Do you know what kind of rumors you might be causing? Now everyone is going to find out that _you_ sold me like a piece of property in a bet with Ichigo, " Rukia started out yelling just as loud as Renji, but hushed her voice to a threatening hiss when she spoke of the bet.

She didn't feel a need to make sure that anyone who didn't already hear Renji had a second chance to figure it out. Rukia oriented her angry eyes on Renji, challenging him to argue. Confused at how he could possibly be the villain, Renji kept his mouth shut.

"We are all going to walk down the hall quietly to my room and sort things out, again, quietly. I should just leave you here to figure it out, but you might pull something like this again."

She sighed in frustration and stiffly headed for her room. Although she would never admit it to Renji and Shuuhei, the bet was actually one of the best things that had happened to her, barring the first two weeks of the bet and the debacle that just occurred, of course. Rukia knew what she was going to leave out, but she had no idea what she was actually going to say or how she was going to say it.

******

A/N: I wasn't too sure about the entire first half of this chapter. Sorry if it kind of sucks a bit.

Leena -- Actually, I am a vegetarian, and I'm not concerned about Rukia and Ichigo not working it out. I'm sure it will simply result in some good arguments and hijinx (most of which Rukia will win, of course). Also, I agree that Ichigo is also Rukia's property so to speak. I just don't think it would have occured to her at this point, even though she acts a bit like she knows.

burichifan -- What anime and/or manga is "HYD"? It sounds like I might want to read/watch it eventually. Thanks for the numerous reviews;)


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN – posted 6/16**

Forcing herself to relax, Rukia opened her door and let the three boys in after her. Luckily, she didn't have to worry about Momo being there to let her in, because Tatsuki brought her missing keys at breakfast this morning. Rukia walked over to her bed and primly took a seat. Renji and Shuuhei sat on the large floor pillows Momo had brought for use as chairs.

"Ichigo, can you close the door?" Rukia asked, as Ichigo was the last one in.

Without a word, Ichigo closed the door and sat down next to Rukia on her bed, almost close enough for his thigh to touch hers. He leaned back on straight arms with his left slightly behind Rukia's back. It gave the illusion that he had his arm around her. Renji's eyes narrowed.

"Hey! You're too close to her! And you should _not _be sitting on Rukia's bed, especially not _with _Rukia." Renji objected.

He crossed his arms and glared at a smirking Ichigo. Renji itched to leap across the room and forcefully rip in from his spot on the bed. Perhaps he would stop short of killing him after that.

"If _Rukia_ doesn't mind, I don't see why _you_ should," Ichigo said and shrugged as much as he was able from his slouching position.

"Maybe she's not asking you to move because of the bet! You imposed some kind of perverted rules on her, didn't you?" Renji countered vehemently.

"If Rukia wanted me to sit somewhere else, I don't think she would have any problem telling me so, _a__nd _I would gladly move if _she_ asked me to," Ichigo said.

Renji turned to stare expectantly at Rukia, obviously asking for confirmation that Ichigo was a total pervert. He wanted Rukia to be as outraged at Ichigo's closeness as he was and demand that he sit across the room.

"I have no problem at all with how and where Ichigo is sitting," Rukia said.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, not knowing why Renji was making such a big deal out of it. He had already seen them closer than this at the party last night. She would have to make a note to make Ichigo gush blood from more than just his nose for making this even more difficult later. Right now, she needed to stay focused. Rukia continued in a firm voice, making it clear that Renji had no choice in the matter.

"In fact, Ichigo and I have mutually decided that the bet is over. We were going to continue to pretend in order torture you for making the bet in the first place, but that's obviously not going to work now."

"Then why are you still with him?!" Renji exclaimed. "You don't have to be with him right now! You don't even have to be nice to him!"

"I want to be _with _Ichigo! I've actually already spent the entire morning and afternoon with Ichigo of my own free will. From now on, when we spend time together, it's going to be because _both_ of us want it."

"And we _both_ want to," Ichigo interrupted.

Rukia cast him an icy glare. Now she just had to say it.

"And I think we're going to be spending a lot more time together from now on. I like Ichigo!" she said, practically screaming the last sentence, breath quickening.

Renji's jaw dropped, and he gasped in total shock. Shuuehi, on the other hand, seemed alright with the situation and took it in stride. Not wanting to meet Renji's eyes, her eyes met with Shuuhei's, regaining her momentarily lost composure. Rukia felt Ichigo's hand slide up from behind her and start to rub her back in soothing circles.

"Well, I didn't see that one coming," Shuuhei said thoughtfully. "But I do have to ask something of Kurosaki for Rukia's sake. Even though I'm not the one choosing to be with Kurosaki, I need him to promise that he isn't going to live up to his reputation with women now that it's Rukia."

"Don't worry. The girls completely make up and spread all of the rumors themselves," Rukia explained.

"Did _he_ tell you that," came Renji's snide response – more of an accusation than a question.

Everyone ignored Renji.

"I'm not saying I don't believe you, but why on earth would _girls_ lie about something like that?" Shuuhei asked incredulously. "It's hard enough to get them to like me, let alone wanting to tell everyone they slept with me when they didn't!"

"...which is _exactly_ why it's so hard for me to make anyone believe that I didn't. I mean, Toshiro, my roommate, has even backed me up. But it's like everyone assumes I would have done what they would have done and that Toshiro is just trying to help me be modest to respect the girls' reputations," Ichigo said.

He was immeadiately grateful that Shuuhei seemed willing to believe him. Ichigo had expected them both to have as hard of a time with it as Renji was at the moment. The poor guy appeared to be trying to pretend it was all a dream.

"Protect their reputations. Huh, that's ironic," Shuuhei commented with with amused smile.

"Momo told me that Ichigo practically runs away from his dates," Rukia said with a smile, trying not to laugh at her own words.

"You didn't have to tell them that," Ichigo grumbled.

"Aren't you worried what people are going to say about Rukia?" Shuuhei asked, filing Rukia's comment away for later.

"Just the thought of anyone saying things like that about Rukia pisses me off. Although I _would _beat up every guy in school, it would be a bother. It seems like most of the problem is all the jealous girls, anyway. I avoid them at all costs, but obviously choose to have Rukia around."

Talking about his fan girls made Ichigo shudder.

"That's the other reason why we were considering pretending we're not actually dating. We could act like friends in public and deny any rumors. No one would know the truth until after graduation when they wouldn't be here to spread rumors and pour beverages on me," Rukia added to Ichigo's explanation.

"I like it, because it means I can defend Rukia whenever I want, as one of my friends," Ichigo grinned. "My friends really like Rukia, too, so it makes sense that we'd be friends too when we have so many mutual friends, right?"

"Pour beverages on you?" Shuuhei wondered.

"It's happened twice already this weekend. I need to start wearing a raincoat," Rukia lamented.

"Wait, wouldn't it be easier to just admit you're seriously dating? I mean, wouldn't the girls leave you both alone when they realize that they don't have a chance? Ichigo himself admitted that he's not that great at denying rumors in the first place. Now that Renji and I know, there really isn't a point in pretending, right, Rukia?"

"Ah, yeah, you're right. It even makes just as much sense as our idea, except it would just be easier," Rukia stated, smacking Ichigo on the back of the head.

Ichigo rubbed his head, wondering how her having to concede to Shuuhei's logic was his fault. She was the one that didn't want to tell her friends at first. He had only thought that sneaking around would be hot. His smirk settled into his usual scowl. The back of his head probably had a giant bruise by now. Damn it; the whole world could know how much he loved her right now for all he cared.

"Maybe you just shouldn't date Rukia in the first place and leave her alone, so everything can go back to normal," Renji suggested, still sounding extremely unhappy. "_That_ sounds like the best option to me."

"Not even an option," Ichigo said in a hard voice.

"Definitely not an option," Rukia affirmed.

"I don't see a problem with it either," Shuuhei said with a shrug. "Actually, we should hang out some time, Kurosaki, now that you're dating my friend. Maybe you could teach me some of the moves you kicked my ass with."

"Traitor," Renji hissed at Shuuhei, standing and taking jerky steps towards the door.

"Renji...," Rukia started.

"Your brother would agree with me," Renji said venomously, right before slamming the door behind him.

Rukia's face fell. Renji had been her friend for so long, and it hurt. She knew he wouldn't like it, but she had thought he'd be happy for her, after hearing what the situation really was.

"Don't worry, Rukia," Ichigo said, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Listen to him, Rukia. Renji will come around. He just needs some time," Shuuhei said reassuringly as he got up to leave himself. "I'll work on him."

"How come you're taking it so well?" Rukia asked.

"Eh, I guess I figured you seemed to be holding your own with the carrot top in the first place. I saw you at breakfast this morning too. You didn't look like you were suffering at all. Well, I think I need to go find Renji. I can show myself out."

Shuuhei rose and made his way to the door to do just that. Rukia took a moment to think and gave a little wave to Shuuhei before turning to Ichigo.

"You know, this would have been a lot easier if you had sat on the floor and hadn't tried to provoke Renji, Ichigo."

Wondering if he could make it to the door in time, he only gulped. Rukia burned with frustrated anger and had no one to take it out on but him. Her face was flushed and her lips parted to suck in breath. Before he knew what he was doing, his body closed the gap between them of its own volition, and he crashed his lips onto hers.

Rukia forgot what she had been about to say to Ichigo the moment his lips touched hers and she felt his tongue swipe across her bottom lip. Was she supposed to be mad about something? It didn't matter. She moaned into his mouth before her adrenaline took over. Without breaking the kiss, Rukia slid a knee onto the bed and used her new found leverage to twist her torso towards Ichigo and ride him onto his back.

Stunned, Ichigo felt her suddenly jump on top of him, literally. He, blinking, looked up to find her grinning mischievously. She straddled his abdomen with a hand on either of his shoulders to pin him down. Producing a grin of his own, Ichigo brought a hand back, fulling intending to push her hands off and rise to reclaim her lips – until she moved.

Eyes sparkling, he watcher her bite her lip and slide smoothly down his torso to slowly grind her hips against his. Barely keeping his eyes open, he saw the shiver run through her body, as he groaned with pleasure. He couldn't just lay her like this. His self-control just wasn't that good, especially after weeks of being so close and not being allowed to touch her.

Rukia couldn't stop as the movement of her hips against his only intensified the growing heat between her legs. She wasn't even sure what kind of a feeling it was. It was just an urgency; it was the beginnings of something she knew she would want. Just as her eyes fluttered closed, she felt his hands on her hips, trying to pull her closer. The feel of his hips moving under his made her twitch, arch her back, suck in a breath.

Her mind momentarily blanked, only able to focus on what her body was feeling, on the sight of pure enjoyment on Ichigo's face beneath her. Suddenly, she felt her hands sliding on top of and over Ichigo's shoulders, as he sat up, one had still behind him. The other hand snaked up her back to grab a handful of her hair and pulling her head back before he dove for her exposed neck. She gasped, feeling her nipples tighten, craving his attention, delighted at just the feeling of his chest rubbing against hers.

Rukia felt Ichigo shift his legs under them, no longer needing a hand to hold himself upright. She felt his newly freed hand slip slip under her shirt, afire against the bare skin of her stomach. Although his hand moved upward, she felt each inch of movement as a spark in her core. Her breath fluttered in anticipation and she broke the kiss with a gasp, feeling his fingers graze the bottom of her bra.

Suddenly, they both jumped out of their skins at the sound of the door swinging open. Ichigo let his head fall onto her shoulder, forcing his hand to stop moving. He took deep breaths, hoping whoever was in the doorway would turn around and leave immediately, suppressing the urge to turn and yell at whoever it was to go away. Rukia, however, was facing the door. She found herself staring into the equally wide eyes of Shuuhei.

"Uh, I... uh...," he started, turning bright red.

Words failing him, Shuuhei gave Rukia an awkward grin and a thumbs up, swiftly pulling the door shut. Rukia felt Ichigo growl against her shoulder and slip his hand from under her shirt, as she burst out laughing.

**************

The following week had gone by surprisingly without incident. Ichigo had started Monday morning off by glaring disgustedly at a girl who made a remark about Rukia in the hallway with the audacity to not even bother lowering her voice. When she only followed the initial remark up with one more severe, he whirled on her with a growl and a biting remark.

It was uncharacteristic of Ichigo to do anything but ignore comments about him, so he made quite an impression on the girl. Instead of whispering, Ichigo and Rukia were surrounded by silence and wide, observant eyes. It almost made Rukia feel better. Eriko also leaving her alone made Rukia a little nervous, as she didn't seem the type to abandon her pursuits easily, especially if giving up made sense.

During lunch, she had gone to sit with Shuuhei and Renji. Originally, she had wanted to invite them both to sit with her at Ichigo's table, but the sour look on Renji's face dissuaded her. Rukia animatedly told them about each of her classes and how well they had gone. She had discovered that she had Ichigo, one of his friends, or one of her friends in each of her classes.

During ballet class, Rangiku had asked to be her partner immediately, whereas Rukia typically waited to see who was left out. Their instructor complimented her, telling her that she practically floated across the floor. She told Ichigo about ballet with Rangiku and her drawing class with Chad on their way to his room after their last class.

"What was it you said was going on tonight?" Rukia asked, finishing her recount.

"My sister, Karin, has a soccer game near here that I wanted to watch. It's usually hard for me to get to her games on Fridays, so I'm excited to be able to cheer her on this time."

"You have a sister?"

"Ah, two, actually. You know, you don't have to come if you don't want to."

"Actually, I'd love to come," beamed Rukia.

Ichigo smiled.

"My dad and Yuzu might be there too, so there's something I really should tell you about my dad...," Ichigo started, smile faltering.

"Can it wait a moment?" Rukia asked, inching towards his bathroom.

Ichigo nodded, contemplating how to prepare Rukia for meeting his family. He didn't want to scare her off and hadn't expected to have them meet so soon. After a few moments, Ichigo heard the water in the sink running, signaling Rukia's impending emergence. Suddenly, the door to Ichigo's room blasted inward.

"Ichigo, my boy! Don't be lonely! Your loving family has come to visit! Give your daddy a hug! Now, where are you hiding the mother of my many future grandchildren?" Kurosaki Isshin burst into the room and soared through the air toward Ichigo for a hug, meeting with Ichigo's foot mid-air instead.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, old man?" Ichigo angrily demanded. "You can't just barge in here unannounced. And you could have told me you were coming in the first place."

"Hi Ichi-ni," Yuzu sang from the doorway. "It was a long car ride, so I'm going to use your bathroom."

Karin just rolled her eyes, unaffected by the scene unfolding before her, given that it was commonplace.

"Oh, hey, Yuzu, Karin," Ichigo's tone and demeanor turned a bit cheerful as he looked up and greeted his younger sisters before scowling at what Isshin said next.

"Oh ho! What is this here, my boy?"

Isshin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he excitedly pointed to a cardigan sweater that Rukia had left on his sofa. The pink material was poking out from under one of Ichigo's sweatshirts. He turned to Ichigo in a dramatized version of shock. Isshin was naturally this dramatic, so it wasn't actually dramatized at all for him.

"Are you trying to hide something from Daddy and your two wonderful sisters? Oh, Masaki, I never thought our son would keep things from his loving family! Why won't he tell us about the lovely young woman that has surely made him a man? Trying to give us grandchildren is nothing to be ashamed of!" Isshin wailed.

"What?! I'm not hiding anything. That's just a sweater," Ichigo spat in his defense, exasperated.

"Are you sure you're not trying to hide the girl that's in your bathroom right now?"

Karin's voice interrupted the argument. Isshin and Ichigo froze. Yuzu had opened the bathroom door and stood aghast. Rukia tentatively inched out of the bathroom, plastering on an overly perky facade. She didn't have any idea what was going on but suddenly felt that hiding might not have been a bad idea.

"Oh, this must be my third daughter! How did my ugly son has land such a beauty?" Isshin gushed with happiness as he floated toward Rukia. "I'm Ichigo's loving father, Kurosaki Isshin. Yuzu and Karin will be your sisters once you officially marry my son. Please forgive my cad of a son for being ashamed and trying to hide you. What is your name?"

"K-Kuchiki Rukia," she managed to squeak out. "Umm, thank you for the nice... umm... compliment, Mr. Kurosaki."

"Oh, Rukia! I insist that you call me _Daddy_! Now, have you thought about how many grandchildren you and Ichigo would like to give me? I love big families. And keep in mind that I'll have no problem with you starting now, instead of after the wedding! Oh, girls, I need a tissue, because I'm just so happy!"

"Wedding?! Ichi-ni, I've always wanted an older sister!" Yuzu delightedly exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "Oh, sorry, but you used all of my tissues already, Dad."

"I have a maxi pad. Do you want me to rip out one of the super-absorbent layers for you?" Karin offered with a roll of her eyes.

"Karin! I admire your innovation, but don't say such things when we're trying to make a good impression on the future mother of my grandchildren! Or perhaps Ichigo couldn't hold himself back and has used the Kurosaki virility to already knock her up... with twins! It does run in the family."

Ichigo recovered from almost choking, wanting to rescue Rukia (and himself) from what he considered a fate worse than death. He was surprised Rukia hadn't already run back into the bathroom in horror. With a punch to the side of his father's face, Ichigo commenced the rescue.

"Dad! Leave her alone. Rukia _is_ my girlfriend, but we're _not_ having any babies. Now what are you doing here?" Ichigo asked a semi-conscious Isshin.

"Your girlfriend? Rukia looks too nice for a scowling jerk like you," Karin commented.

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at her words.

"Rukia, you have to come with us. We came to surprise Ichi-ni and go to Karin's soccer game all together," Yuzu explained and invited while grabbing one of Rukia's hands in her own.

A dazed Rukia just nodded at a smiling Yuzu. On their way out the door, Ichigo and Rukia hung back a little from Ichigo's family, as they headed to the soccer park. Yuzu and Isshin discussed wedding plans for the couple's non-existent wedding. Karin refused to participate and sported an uncomfortable scowl. Hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, Ichigo turned to Rukia and apologized when he felt they had enough distance for privacy.

"I'm sorry that you got ambushed like this. They're kind of like this all the time. I mean, Karin and Yuzu are great, but I was hoping to save you from having to meet my dad for a little while longer at least." Realizing how that sounded, he quickly added with a nervous smile, "... for your sake. He's a little crazy on top of the crazy time we've already been having. I wanted you to meet my family, but I didn't want to scare you off."

"Hmm... and yet, I'm still here," Rukia said with a grin. "It's obviously alright, Ichigo. You dad obviously has some... extreme expectations for our relationship for having just found out I exist, but I have to admit that this is kind of fun. It's nothing like the Kuchikis."

"Huh? Seriously?" Ichigo looked at Rukia with wide eyes. "You're okay with this?"

"It's not like I like it, but it's just different from what I'm used to."

"Does that mean I don't have to worry about your family dropping by unannounced and helping Yuzu plan an engagement party?"

"Yeah, I don't think brother has even been to campus, since I started. He doesn't even call; Nanao – his personal assistant – calls for him. But I see him sometimes when I go home during breaks. Also, I do get called home for Kuchiki functions occasionally. He's just very busy, since grandfather is going to retire from president to take a place on the board of the family corporation soon."

"That doesn't sound like fun at all. It sounds like he doesn't have time for a personal life. I can't imagine not having time for you," Ichigo confessed, grabbing her hand with a scowl. "Uh, this might be a good time to mention that I'm going to start working as an eventual replacement for _my_ grandfather while I'm at university. He says I'm a natural, but the job comes with a lot of obligations. You see, I..."

"I'm sure that it will be different for you. If anyone can make the best of a potentially unpleasant situation, it's you. After all, you won't have to worry about running a prominent international corporation like Ni-sama," Rukia said as she smiled reassuringly at Ichigo.

"It won't be exactly the same, but it's still an int..."

"I'm just worried about living up to the standards and expectations of the Kuchiki family."

"Living up to family expectations is overrated sometimes. 'Expectations of the Kuchiki family'? Psh."

"Don't be an idiot. Your family just wants babies. I meant _real_ expectations."

"Well, then, if I don't know what you're talking about, what kind of stuff _do_ you mean?"

"Well, so far I've been attending the right school and getting sufficient marks. I've done nothing to create a scandal or bring shame to the Kuchiki name. But it never feels like enough. I don't know what will happen after university. Brother probably has a suitable position in the company picked out for me. Maybe in philanthropy, so I can plan frivolous events? He says it's the kind of position that a future husband would find proper," Rukia finished ruefully.

"Future husband? You make it sound like it'll be an arranged marriage where you're just waiting for someone to select you from a catalog. Why don't you just do what you want to instead? I mean, my dad has family obligations, but my grandpa has no problem that my dad decided to focus on his family and clinic instead," Ichigo inquired.

"Well, if I found someone appropriate to marry on my own, I don't think I'd have a problem if the head of our family approved. But I think Ni-sama will end up introducing me to acceptable candidates and having me 'choose' from there. It has to be a match that's good for the family."

"Why doesn't your brother stand up for you? I'm sure he could if he wanted to."

"Not really. It's complicated. I'm not sure it matters what he wants."

"He can't be _that _submissive, and you don't have to be either."

"My brother defied the family to marry my sister, Hisana, and again when he formally adopted me. It might be different if Hisana was still alive. I don't think there is any chance for me. I'm not worth it. I'm fated to be his redemption," Rukia looked away from Ichigo as she explained, not wanting him to see her tears.

"That pisses me off. It should piss you off too! I'm not going to let you give up when there has to be something you want for yourself. Fight for it. I can't imagine you doing anything less, Rukia."

"But Ichigo..."

"They can't tell you what to do like that while I'm around. I won't let that happen to you, no matter what. I'll do everything in my power to keep you happy and keep you with me. I'll be there to support you, if you need it," Ichigo swore with fierce determination.

"That's sweet Ichigo, but you haven't met my brother or the rest of my family yet. I can already tell that they aren't anything like your family. It's different in a noble family. It won't work. They are going to either squash you like a fruit fly or make you wish that they had."

"Nobles? Eh, they'll have no choice but to approve of me," Ichigo said with a grin. "Once they meet me, I'm sure they'll be begging you to marry me instead of some random guy you don't know. I'll just squash them if they won't let you do what you want."

"Don't bet on it. Your family just wants you to be happy. I told you that the things that they care about are different. You'll see when you meet them tomorrow night. The rules are different."

"Then I'll have to change any rules that say you can't be with me. I promise, Rukia."

He sounded completely confident, and she wanted to believe it could be like he said. She felt Ichigo grab Rukia's hand and jerk her into a hug. Rukia sighed, letting herself hope Ichigo really could make good on his promise. She couldn't help but feel like she could face anything with Ichigo beside her. Suddenly, she pushed herself away from his chest enough to look him in the eyes with a smirk.

"What makes you think I'd want to marry you anyway? Maybe I should tell your dad that you said that, hmm?"

Sliding his arms from around her tiny body, he looked away, scratching his head.

"Well, I didn't mean... I... uh... well... Wait... did you just say you were going to tell my dad?! That would be horrible for us both! Please, don't do that!"

Rukia only giggled, grabbing his hand and dragging him off after his family.

*********

A/N: Thanks for all the comments and story adds! I didn't expect everyone to like the last chapter as much as they did.

nine-tailed fan -- There will be several more chapters, since Ichigo will obviously be meeting the Kuchiki family very soon and will have some things to resolve there.

burichifan -- You're right, I have heard of Hana Yori Dango. I don't remember what the blurb on OneManga(dot)com said it was about when I went through a crazy shoujo-manga-reading phase a couple months ago, but I remember it having enough chapters that I decided to read it in print. As of now, I still haven't gotten around to seeing how many volumes my library branch has shelved and how many I'd have to request from other branches. Ah, thinking about this reminds me that I get on the library wait list for books coming out this summer that I want to read!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor do I use the liquid kind that comes in a bottle.

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN – posted 06/19**

"Are you afraid of your own brother?" Ichigo asked incredulously. "How bad can he really be?"

Rukia stood in place, visibly trying to steel her nerves before walking to the front door.

"You haven't met him yet, so don't think you can judge me. I told you that being Kuchiki is _nothing _like being Kurosaki. My brother is not like your dad. I already told you that you don't know anything about the pressure and expectations."

"No? I think I can manage," Ichigo grumbled and received a sideways glare from Rukia.

"Never mind. Just, please, try to impress my brother! I told you that it's very important that he likes you for when we meet the rest of the Kuchiki family at the party tonight."

Ichigo sighed, then grinned.

"Before we meet your brother, maybe I can help you take your mind off all this and relax... in your room with a locked door?"

"Now is _not_ the time," Rukia hissed, kicking his shin for emphasis.

Ichigo only scowled at her and sighed. He knew he had asked for and deserved the kick. Rukia wanting to make out was kind of a stretch in the first place.

"Besides, I'm just concerned over the _very_ important event we are both going to have to attend tonight. The entire extended Kuchiki family and very important people will be there, including members of other noble families, politicians, and businessmen. In fact, I'd start being a little more nervous if I was you."

She tried to reorient Ichigo's attention to the introduction about to happen. He should be focusing right now. If her brother didn't like Ichigo, she wouldn't have an ally against the rest of the family. Every chance they got, they made her humble beginnings and adopted status painfully obvious.

"Eh, I'm not worried about that at all."

She was doubly worried that, even with the miracle of Byakuya's approval, Ichigo's brash attitude and orange hair would destroy their chances. Ichigo's seemingly baseless confidence wouldn't help them at all, either. It would be the usual veiled humiliation, only Ichigo would be there to share the feeling this time.

"Don't be an idiot!"

"Rukia, we'll just have to put up with a bunch of stuffy self-important people for a few hours. Hopefully they'll have food that's actually good, not that crap they serve at fancy restaurants. You know what food I mean, right? When you eat it you're like 'oh, that's an interesting combination of flavors or whatever,' but you aren't really satisfied. Psh, I'd take Yuzu's cooking any day."

"Please take this seriously, Ichigo!" Rukia pleaded.

"I _am_, and I've been telling you _not_ to worry. This really won't be a problem. I've been to these things plenty of times, as Urahara's assistant. Anyways, you should get a move on. I'm holding _all_ of our bags here," Ichigo replied, still unfazed.

Rukia narrowed her eyes, miffed at how he was still showing more concern for the weight of her luggage than whether or not he was going to impress her family. If she didn't know better, she would think he was trying to get her to break up with him.

"Well, maybe you should have let the porter take them when he offered. It's what he does," she snipped.

"They're not heavy, just awkward."

If she had been any other girl and not Kuchiki Rukia, she would have started crying.

"Ichigo! Aren't you even the least bit nervous?! It's not like you do this everyday. Nothing about this weekend is going to be easy or relaxing for either of us. You family was really nice and laid back, but Kuchikis are _different_," Rukia squeaked in frustration.

Ichigo sighed again, wishing he could pull her into his arms. Suddenly, he felt horrible, like such a jerk.

"Rukia," Ichigo began softly, "you don't have to... I'm sorry. You were just so cute when you were getting all worried and flustered, but I guess this is too much. This is beyond just the cute kind of being worried. I've been such an asshat. I should probably just tell you that I..."

At that moment, one of the bags topped from the stack Ichigo had piled into his arms and onto his head. Rukia burst out laughing, as he dropped the rest of the luggage that, unfortunately, landed on his toes. Ichigo gasped in a sharp intake of breath.

Trying not to laugh as well, Nanao walked out the front door and started loudly tapping her foot impatiently. She had been waiting inside, listening to the couple bicker. Except for being nervous, Rukia had never seemed so at ease with anyone. The girl before her now was more like the girl Rukia had been when Nanao began working for Byakuya.

She had changed so much since her sister had died. Nanao delighted in seeing her so happy with anyone. Unfortunately, Nanao agreed with Rukia about the boy's attitude and hoped he had an ace up his sleeve for her sake. His bright orange hair certainly wouldn't help. Nanao loudly sighed, lamenting that showing his sister and her "guest" to their rooms should have been one of the easier parts of being Byakuya's personal assistant this weekend.

Hand signaling the porter to follow her down the steps, she walked right up to them, cleared her throat, and said what she knew would get the ball rolling. Meanwhile, the porter and his back-up used Nanao's distraction to swipe all of the bags from Ichigo and hurry inside. She could tell they were also trying to stifle laughter.

"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but Kuchiki-sama has already been informed of your arrival and is waiting _patiently _for you. Shall we continue briefly to your rooms, so we don't have to keep him waiting any longer than necessary?"

Nanao pushed her glasses further onto her nose. Horrified, Rukia turned to her brother's live-in twenty-four hour assistant, Nanao.

"Ni-sama is already waiting for us? Would it be possible to have our bags taken up to our rooms and see Ni-sama first?"

Nanao nodded, allowing Rukia to continue with a relieved smile.

"It would be impolite of me as a Kuchiki to keep my brother waiting. Come on Ichigo,"

Rukia's fear motivated her resolve. She immediately fell into step next to Nanao on their way to Bykuya's study. Deciding Rukia definitely was scared of her own brother, Ichigo put his hands in his pockets and casually looked around as he followed Rukia through the palatial house.

"I'll tell you all about Ichigo later, Nanao," Rukia whispered.

Ichigo knew that he had to make a good impression on her brother and her family but wasn't worried. The only thing he was worried about was how to tell Rukia exactly why he wasn't worried. Nanao was almost at a set of double doors ahead of them, he needed to do it now. Ichigo walked up beside Rukia and took her hand in his.

"Umm, Rukia, before we meet your brother, I think there's something I should ....," Ichigo was cut off by Nanao's introduction.

His eyes widened at the sight of the man standing in front of a desk through the now open doors.

"You!" Ichigo exclaimed, using his other hand to point accusingly at Kuchiki Bykuya.

Dropping Ichigo's hand, Rukia's breath caught in her throat. What could Ichigo be thinking? If she was any other girl, she may have feinted or thrown up on the spot. Fortunately, she was Kuchiki Rukia. She only froze and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. The only indication of her inner panic displayed by her slightly widening eyes.

"Kuchiki-sama, Rukia has arrived with her guest ....," Nanao started, unable to stifle a gasp when she was cut off by Byakuya himself.

"You," he hissed, echoing Ichigo's word without pointing.

Ichigo realized that he knew her brother and instantly wondered if he still had the same stick up his ass. He had never realized that _the_ Byakuya he had fought right before starting junior high was _Kuchiki_ Byakuya, _Rukia's brother_. They had only met once and only long enough to fight.

Ichigo had gone with his mentor and teacher, Urahara Kisuke, to visit his colleague at the Shihoin family dojo and wiped the floor with a high school kid named Byakuya. Ichigo partly blamed the fight on Byakuya's boasting about his high and mighty sword skills. It had made it impossible for his younger self to resist challenging him to a fight to prove it.

Even though Urahara was undebatedly amused by the incident, Ichigo never accompanied him on visits to that particular dojo again. Now he knew what sandal-hat meant about that fight coming back to haunt him. Rukia was going to be livid, especially now that he had two confessions.

"It's Kurosaki Ichigo, actually," Ichigo said with a smirk, eye twitching.

"Kurosaki, then" Byakuya said as he narrowed his eyes. "What are you doing in _my_ house with _my_ sister?"

"Obviously I'm meeting her family and accompanying her as her _date_ to some swanky party the Kuchikis are throwing tonight. It's been a long time, Byakuya. I must say that I didn't expect to see you again, not like this."

Rukia noticed that Ichigo looked a bit nervous for the first time, since they had arrived.

"Neither did I. _Don't_ call me Byakuya. And I can't really say that I'm pleased to see you standing in _my_ home, holding Rukia's hand with that degree of familiarity," Byakuya said in what would seem like a neutral voice to anyone who didn't know him. "Is this some devious plot whereby you feel the need to violate my sister to get to me?"

"Wait, what's going on here?" Rukia continued as she looked slowly from one to the other, "Have the two of you met before? How? When? Ichigo, what did you do?"

Nanao stood off to the side, trying to keep her face blank while seeing the legendarily stoic Byakuya visibly seething. Never in a million lifetimes would she have expected a scene like this to unfold. Rukia's boyfriend was supposed to cower.

"Hey! Why do you just assume I'm the one at fault?" Ichigo asked, affronted.

"Why else would my brother react this way to meeting you?" she rebutted.

"I knew it. You deceived Rukia. Get away from her right now," Byakuya added, icily.

Nanao watched from her position by the door, not at all intending to give them privacy. This was better than anything she had read in her manga, which she smartly concealed in her room and within the covers of other, more respectable, reading materials. Poor Rukia. Nanao would enjoy the scene before her more if she hadn't already seen the difference in Rukia that she attributed to the boy.

Nanao decided that she should stay close to Rukia at the party this evening. She didn't want to miss any juicy new developments. Perhaps, someone would spill all the details before the weekend was up, if she was lucky. Given what was already happening, Nanao almost expected Rukia to announce that she was pregnant with this boy's child. This is very atypical for the Kuchiki household.

"Hold on a minute. Let's not get carried away, Byakuya. First of all, Rukia is my only reason for doing anything; she _is_ my girlfriend. I would never do anything to harm her. Second ....," was all that Ichigo got out.

"Girlfriend? Rukia, I demand you explain the meaning of this outrageous claim! Right now is not the time in your life to start getting rebellious and bring home a boyfriend, especially _him_," Byakuya demanded.

Ichigo inched closer to Rukia, grasping her hand in his once more. The moment her fingers curled around his, he released a breath he didn't know he was holding. She would definitely still be livid, but perhaps wouldn't kill him.

"Well, you see... Ichigo attends my school, and somehow we started spending a lot of time together this year. I care for and trust him very much now. I have done nothing wrong that I know of," Rukia's wavering voice tried to explain. "When have the two of you met before? I don't think I know what's going on."

"... and _I_ think that you should just get over losing that fight. I didn't think you'd still be hung up on that," Ichigo said.

"What?" Rukia hissed at Ichigo. "A _fight_? Why didn't you tell me? How could you let me walk into this? We _needed _his approval!"

She was gripping his hand so tight, it felt like she was trying to break every bone. Even though the look she was giving him should have seared the flesh from his bones, Ichigo even loved this side of her. A swift smack to the back of his head from the object of his affection jostled him back to the problem at hand.

"I swear I didn't know! You know I would have told you. I only just recognized him now. It was a long time ago. I never knew his last name. I can work around this, I swear! If you want, I'll tell you everything now!"

Ichigo hated it when Urahara was right. He nervously hoped not telling Rukia everything before now wouldn't bite him in the ass so hard he wouldn't be able to sit down. This was bad enough, but figuring how to bring up anything else would have to wait until he'd dealt with this. He saw Rukia's mouth open for what was to certainly be a scathing question or accusation but heard Bykuya's voice instead.

"You don't have to bring up the details, Kurosaki," Byakuya said with audible distaste, narrowing his eyes. "I have decided to give you a chance to impress me this evening, as it seems Rukia has seen something of merit."

Byakuya tensed his jaw. This punk wasn't intimidated in the least. It was almost as if this boy thought he could be Byakuya's equal. This boy was definitely not good for Hisana's little sister. Selecting her a husband should definitely be done sooner rather than later.

He could start some more favorable introductions from within the family tonight. Side by side comparisons always helped. Byakuya smiled as he thought that maybe she would send Ichigo packing before tonight's party even ends. There was no way this boy could or would make her happy anyway.

Byakuya thought thought that perhaps, by the end of the weekend at the latest, Rukia would come to her senses and see Kurosaki Ichigo for the foolish indiscretion of youth that he was. He would have Nanao start preparing the list of potential suitors that would accept a marriage to Rukia after the gala tonight. Decision made, Byakuya turned to Nanao.

"Nanao, make sure that proper attire for tonight's festivities is prepared for both my sister and Kurosaki Ichigo. Also, make sure that Ichigo's bags are packed, so that he is ready to make a hasty exit at any time."

Nanao gave a curt nod and bow, as Byakuya indicated that they were all dismissed.

"Thank you, Nii-sama," Rukia bowed with a smile and turned to follow Nanao to her room.

Ichigo felt like being a little more irksome. He didn't think Byakuya should be getting thanked. Ichigo would continue to challenge Byakuya as many times as I took for him to let Rukia be happy. It was obvious Rukia didn't need to see him verbally battling with Byakuya right now. Ichigo still wasn't worried about the ultimate outcome, so he followed Rukia.

"Later, Byakuya," Ichigo said with a smirk as he raised a hand casually in the air after, already turning around to leave.

Closing the door to Ichigo's room firmly behind her, Rukia turned to Ichigo, looking worn out, exasperated, and angry.

"What happened? Tell me everything! Didn't you think I may have needed to know that you met my brother before? How could you keep something like that from me when you knew I was worried about getting his approval in the first place?" Rukia huffed.

Rukia had one hand balled at her side and the other pointing a finger accusingly at Ichigo's nose. He wanted to sweep her into his arms and kiss himself back into her good graces but held back. Ichigo smartly refrained from any comment too, although he felt a frivolous argument might help with her stress level.

"Well," Ichigo started as he scratched the back of his head nervously, "It happened so long ago I didn't even make the connection until I saw him. But it doesn't really matter. I tried to tell you before we went in that..."

"It does too matter! You should have tried harder to tell me you had already doomed us!" Rukia fumingly interrupted. "Is this why you were so carefree? You knew that we didn't even have a chance! Didn't you think you having met my brother is something I should have known?!"

"Yeah, you're right, but I told you that didn't know it was him until just now. But that's not what...," Ichigo started with obvious guilt in his voice.

"Wait, did you say you didn't realize it was him before now?"

"Yes," Ichigo said, a vein popping in his forehead.

"I guess it couldn't be helped then. Just please don't try to make him hate you any more. He could still come around. Now, tell me about this fight," Rukia insisted.

Rukia was visibly forcing herself to calm down. Ichigo decided he could always tell her after this. He took a deep breath and started to recount the fight.

"Okay. Back in the summer before junior high I was visiting another dojo with my mentor, Uruhara Kisuke, and it happened to be the dojo where a certain Kuchiki Byakuya was training with Lady Yoruichi. I'm positive he was enrolled in the academy at that point. Well, we somehow got into an argument and ended up challenging each other to a sword fight.

"I'll spare you the details, but we both got pretty banged up and it came down to one exchange of blows. Even though I was still pretty inexperienced and could barely stand at that point, I broke his sword. No longer being able to fight, he lost the match. I guess it was a pretty big deal at the time. I never thought something like this would happen."

Rukia swiftly punched Ichigo in the stomach, followed by a kick to the shin. He hopped on one foot and doubled over, clutching his abdomen.

"You idiot. As much as I want to continue being mad and you and beat you senseless, I guess I can't."

"Then what was that for?" Ichigo choked out under his breath.

"It sounds like it's not really your fault – or Nii-sama's fault, either. But I forbid you from trying to rub it in his face or starting arguments just to rile him. He's my brother."

Rukia sighed and flopped onto her back on her bed, half her body sinking into the excessively fluffy bedding.

"Rukia..."

"Right now I just want to get through tonight and get back to school. Don't you dare give up on us so easily. I'll never forgive you if you don't even try. Now, do you think you can try to impress Nii-sama tonight? Maybe he'll see that you aren't so bad and help us out."

"Psh, do you even need to ask? Haven't you realized I'd do that and more for you? I promise I'll be the perfect date and make it up to you tonight. Now, let me help you relax," Ichigo softly replied, voice gaining a husky edge.

He crawled onto the bed and positioned himself over her, on hands and knees, leaning down for a kiss. Before his lips made contact, Rukia used both hands to shove him off of her and the bed. He landed with a thud on the hardwood floor in a heap.

"We don't have time for that now. We have to start getting ready for tonight, or I do, at least. I don't think you realize that this is the most important society function for Kuchikis the entire year. My entire family will be there. Everyone invited is someone important. Even Yamamoto will be there."

"I know, because I...," Ichigo began, getting up from his position on the floor.

"Just listen to me. I don't know all of the details. Now go to your own room. I'm sure Nanao is already sending someone up to help you."

"But I really need to tell you..."

"You _need_ to do what I say for the rest of the night."

Rukia hopped off of the bed and planted her hands on his back. She pushed a stuttering Ichigo right out the door and closed it in his face. He was starting to get frustrated. He was trying to tell her, but she just wouldn't let him! Ichigo sighed and retired to his room. At least he could call his grandfather to let him know how and with whom he would be arriving.

Ichigo would need her constant guidance tonight, Rukia thought. She wanted to flop back down onto her bed and stay there all night, perhaps with Ichigo to keep her company. Sure enough, almost as soon as she started to walk away from the door, she heard a knock. It was time for Rukia to get ready. Some time later, Rukia was standing in front of a full length mirror admiring the result of Kiyone's work.

She had a on a sparkling Persian blue dress that brushed the floor. It had a substantial "V" in the front and another deeper "V" that exposed her entire back. The fabric flowed and moved nicely, creating a classic old Hollywood silhouette. Kiyone put Rukia's hair up in a basic, but messy, twist. Dangling, simple sapphire earrings sparkled in tandem her eyes, which were the electric color of a violet, and a matching bracelet finished her ensemble.

She didn't mind that the heels picked for her were much higher than she would have liked, given that Ichigo would be there to steady her. She involuntarily smiled as she thought of Ichigo, _her_ Ichigo. Almost as if she'd conjured him with the thought, he was standing in her doorway.

"I had to call my grandfather and thought you would be ready and impatiently waiting for me. I guess my timing is perfect though," he said with a smile that made her feel a heat sweel between her legs.

"Your...," Rukia started, looking him up and down.

He had on an average tux, except that it was obviously top quality designer and had a white bow tie. It also appeared as if they'd somehow tailored it especially for him.

"Oh, I brought my own. Looks pretty good on me, huh?"

Rukia blushed, realizing that she was imagining what he might look like without the tux, instead of listening to what he was saying. She would have to make an effort to concentrate and show some discipline to get them through the night unscathed. Rukia brought herself back to the reality of a fully clothed Ichigo before her. She sighed.

"I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"I said that you look gorgeous. You know, I'm starting to regret leaving you so quickly earlier, because I might have a little more control over where my thoughts are going right now. Maybe we could leave the party a little early and come back here," Ichigo grinned and raised an eyebrow. "It's going to be hard for me to focus tonight with you looking that good."

It was like Ichigo had read her mind.

"That wouldn't be proper," she sniffed. "Everyone would know."

"It wouldn't _feel_ proper either, but I think I'd prefer it that way," he replied, eyes mischievous. "And it doesn't really matter what everyone else thinks as long as I have you."

Rukia broke eye contact, not wanting him to see the yearning burning in her eyes. He was too tempting right now. It was embarrassing, even though she knew for a fact that she was having the very same effect on him. Taking a shaky breath, she steeled her will and managed to walk out the door without even the slightest brush against Ichigo's body.

The way she felt, a car ride with Ichigo, Nanao, and Ni-sama didn't bode well. She needed to be able to keep Kuchiki composure for at least the next few hours. Well, Kiyone did apply only the barest hit of lip gloss. It was something that Rukia could easily re-apply herself. With that thought, she spun around, grabbed Ichigo's elbow, and firmly directed him back to her room.

********

A/N: I was very worried about writing Byakuya ooc in this chapter.

Also, I am so sorry that I didn't get this chapter up last night, like I promised. Every now and then my computer just shuts down after a message box pops up... I have just enough time to read something about a "Microsoft Virtual C++" something (not enough time to actually read the message) before it dies. Oddly enough, the way to fix it is to pop out the battery and let it sit for a while. No, my computer is not overheating. It only happens, like, once every 50 times I use my computer or so and definately isn't a virus.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I am such a dirty liar. This is the second chapter in a row that I've posted a day late. I won't even get into it this time, though. Instead, I will try to post another chapter that is, also, around seven pages in a couple hours today. I'm almost done editing it and don't have a lot to do at work today, so I'm pretty confident I won't be apologizing -- again. So, please forgive me!

*****

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN – posted 06/25**

As the pair descended to a balcony area about halfway down the grand marble staircase that led into the ballroom, Rukia surveyed the scene, as if planning a battle strategy. Rukia wasn't sure if the Kuchikis had really outdone themselves this year or if having Ichigo at her side made everything look better and smiled. It was unfortunate that having Ichigo couldn't completely calm her nerves in and of itself, but he was part of the cause, after all.

The room was decorated in rich creams, whites, and golds that made the entire room appear to glow warmly. The effect was only accentuated by the sparkle from light reflected off of the crystal chandeliers and the candles everywhere. Unfortunately, glowing with warmth was something the Kuchiki family certainly was not, although several could wear said mask at will. She squeezed his hand tighter, trying not to think of their precarious fate.

Round tables with formal settings, flowers, and candelabras were to either side of the white marble dance floor. Through an archway at one end of the room, an amazing spread of appetizers was artfully constructed, looking more decorative than edible. Drinks and additional appetizers were circulating the crowd on trays. Rukia and Ichigo grabbed glasses of champagne as one such tray whisked by.

Looking at how full the room was, Ichigo had a feeling this party was for more than just a routine Kuchiki family anniversary event. He had made anonymous appearances at parties like this before. Rukia had been there each time, obliviously to how he had watched her from his position at his grandfather's side. Smiling softly at the memory, Ichigo took Rukia's hand in his own to reaffirm that she was his now.

The recollection, then, reminded him that he definitely wasn't with his grandfather this time. Ichigo didn't want to be caught off guard, as his public anonymity was planned to last a while longer. He needed to know what was going on, _and _he needed to hurry up and tell her why. Public did not include Rukia. His barely-there smile descended into his usual scowl.

"Rukia, is this party for some kind of special occasion? I mean besides an anniversary?"

His grandfather typically briefed him on all events on the ride over; however, his ride over with Rukia included no such ritual. He was told that waiting until the last minute supposedly served to hone his memory and observational skills. It, also, served to prepare him for times when preparation and planning would be a luxury he wouldn't be able to afford, cultivating his ability to think on his feet.

"I thought... but this is fancier than usual for their anniversary party, actually. There are too many people here for it to be the Kuchiki family and the usual guests from outside the family. I think that I remember Nanao saying something about my brother giving me details, but I believe my showing up with you kind of distracted them both."

"Eh, he'll get over it, but I think that we really do need to find out what's going on. We can't be caught with our pants down if I'm supposed to be impressing your family tonight."

Rukia rolled her eyes and sighed, successfully keeping an image from earlier in which Ichigo did, in fact, have his pants down from distracting her.

"I'm glad you _finally _realized that. Since we don't know what's going on, we'll just avoid everyone until we find Nanao. Don't talk to _anyone_."

Ichigo smirked.

"I like that plan. This should be no problem; we'll blend into the crowd. As a bonus, Byakuya will have a hard time finding us."

Ichigo's comment elicited a sigh from Rukia. She still couldn't believe her bad luck. Really, what were the chances that Byakuya had a reason to dislike Ichigo before she even had an opportunity to introduce them to each other?

"He's the one we're trying to find, fool," Rukia mumbled, as the heel of her shoe came down on Ichigo's toe. "Don't get carried away. Just _do _what I say."

Ichigo flinched and grunted in pain, biting his lip to keep from saying something that would earn him another such blow. Of all the times he opened his big mouth before realizing it was too late with Rukia, he was pretty amazed he didn't do it this time as well.

"Don't worry. I'll listen. I'll blend. I've done it before, I swear."

Rukia raised an eyebrow and gave him a look that blatantly conveyed her incredulity.

"Riiight. Anyways, it's my duty as a Kuchiki to be polite and greet a good portion of the people here, to remind them that I exist. Nanao and brother have always helped make sure I don't snub anyone, even if my family wouldn't give me the same courtesy. I can't afford not to know what's going on when I'm talking to anyone."

He could hear the panic seep into Rukia's voice with her last sentence. However, the panic was scant enough he doubted anyone else would have noticed. Ichigo lightly squeezed her hand, reminding her that he was with her. The same would have made him feel better, or at least he assumed it would.

"Calm down. I'm with you. I'll help you. I'll have to do all this at the party next month anyway, except it'll be _your_ turn to obey _me_," said Ichigo, with an eager glint in his eyes.

"What party are you talking about?"

"It's the one you're already going to with me that you didn't know about until now. My grandfather is supposedly throwing it just so I can be formally introduced to all the necessary people and officially accept my eventual position," Ichigo said, voice drifting off towards the end.

The mention reminded him of how they still didn't know what was going on. He scanned the faces in the crowd. Many were familiar. The guest list appeared to reflect an important announcement. Ichigo's frown started to make a comeback appearance.

"What?" asked Rukia.

"Sorry, I got distracted. I was just looking around," he mumbled in response.

"Were you talking about that party your dad called you about last week?"

"That's the one. Hey, I thought you weren't even in the room for that phone call."

"Well, it's not like I was eavesdropping! Your big mouth was talking so loud I couldn't help but overhear," Rukia said with an indignant sniff. "Anyway, it sounds like working with your grandfather is going to be pretty important if it's going to be anything like this. Are you sure? This is one of the fancier parties I've been to. I've heard Yamamoto parties are the fanciest, though."

"That sounds about right. I don't know why he has to make everything such a big deal. I guess my grandfather is kind of a big shot, but it doesn't make a difference to me. The party is more of a formality, an obligation that I could do without," Ichigo shrugged. "Now, let's find Nanao and get this meet and greet thing over with. Who do you already know that we can make pleasant with while we look?"

As Rukia began her response, Ichigo realized it would have been an excellent opportunity to tell her _exactly_ whose party he would be taking her to and why. Instead he just answered like she already knew. Her mention of Yamamoto had only been coincidence. Now he was going to look like an even bigger asshat than he already would have looked when he does tell her.

"Umm... we'd better not talk to any of my family before we know what's going on. They don't exactly like me enough to shrug off any faux pas, especially one I should have been prepared to avoid. The two that we're going to have to keep an eye out for are my great-grandparents," Rukia explained glumly to Ichigo, as they crossed the floor.

"Great-grandparents, how old are they?"

Rukia pursed her lips.

"That's why you're supposed to keep your mouth shut and let me do the talking. I know I haven't really explained this before, but I don't have any actual Kuchiki blood."

"I already knew that," Ichigo muttered, as he leaned over the railing to get a better look at something or someone.

He turned back to Rukia, who glared at him with narrowed eyes.

"What? It's not _my_ fault you don't remember telling me that you were adopted," he flippantly replied, trying to figure out what he said wrong... that she already knew about.

"You're insufferable. Anyway, my _real_ sister, Hisana, married brother, and they formally adopted me as their daughter into the Kuchiki family. So given that brother is technically my adoptive father in the family, that would make them my great-grandparents and my last name Kuchiki."

"That sounds unnecessarily confusing. So do they treat you like you're Byakuya's sister-in-law or his daughter?"

"I guess more like a sister. I don't feel like brother is a father figure at all, and the rest of the family doesn't really... well," Rukia frowned. "I know they want him to have a _real_ child with a _real_ wife of noble lineage. They act like it's my fault that he doesn't have prospects for an heir... probably danced on Hisana's grave too. Uh, you've probably already figured out that the rest of my family hates me, right?"

He thought this would be the perfect opportunity to tell Rukia before she found out in a roundabout way. They were talking about family, after all. But first, Ichigo wanted to ask Rukia to clarify something about her, apparently evil, family. To his dismay, he was robbed of both opportunities by a swiftly approaching Byakuya, Nanao in tow. His chances of being murdered by Rukia before morning rose exponentially.

"Well, since you seem to have confessed some family secrets, remind me to make some secret confessions of my own when we're away from your brother. There are a few things I _need_ to tell you about _my_ family too," Ichigo quickly said, hoping she would later give him credit for at least planning to tell her.

Ichigo looked at Rukia and smiled nervously. She raised an eyebrow at him in suspicion, before turning to meet the eyes of a flustered Nanao. Knowing that her brother was the cause and that she was about to find out exactly why, Rukia fought the urge to shift uncomfortably. Things already weren't going smoothly, and she still had Ichigo to worry about.

"I just realized that I forgot to properly brief the two of you on tonight's event," Nanao sheepishly admitted the moment she and Byakuya were upon them.

"Rukia, tonight the head of our family is going to name me successor, so I can start formally, publicly performing the duties. I won't just be the head of the Kuchiki Corporation, as of tonight."

Smiling, Rukia gasped excitedly at the news.

"Congrats, Byakuya," Ichigo said with an extended hand and a firm, genuine smile. "It will be a great opportunity for you. I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about."

Byakuya looked at Ichigo's hand, as if Ichigo carried the Black Death. Needless to say, he did not make a move to accept the gesture. After a moment of awkward silence, Ichigo dropped his hand, smile falling into an even more genuine smirk.

"_Don't_ call me Byakuya. _Don't_ pretend you know what you're talking about. It is very important for me _and Rukia_ that you show decorum tonight. I'm sure that will be quite problematic for you,so it would be best if you _don't_ talk to anyone. Soon, the head of our family will make a significant announcement that you will not and cannot mar."

A man with a camera saved Byakuya from the infuriating consternation that would inevitably result from whatever Ichigo was opening his mouth to say.

"Mind if I snap a picture?"

Byakuya only frowned, trying to will the man away.

"Of course not. Why don't you take one of me with Byakuya, here," Ichigo said, while throwing his arm chummily around Byakuya's shoulders, bring his other arm up to flash a peace sign to accompany his grin.

The photographer smiled appreciatively and instantly snapped the shot.

"I apologize for not recognizing you. Can I ask who you are for the caption?" he questioned Ichigo, after taking the photograph.

"Not a problem. I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. You don't need any kind of title or position for me. Just put down that I'm very good friends with Kuchiki Byakuya," Ichigo said with a smirk, unaffected by the withering glare thrown his way. "And that's spelled K-U-R-O-S-A-K-I."

Byakuya's eye twitched, as the photographer quickly nodded and sauntered away. Rukia noticed and waited calmly for the wrath Ichigo had no doubt just incurred. She hoped her brother didn't kill him, so that she could do it herself later.

Given the reason for the occasion, she had a feeling that almost all pictures of her brother tonight would make it to print somewhere. Byakuya didn't describe anyone as a friend. That, in addition to the familiar pose, would guarantee the photo with Ichigo gets noticed.

"I can't believe you just did that, _boy_. Now I'm going to have to have Nanao call the magazine, concoct a credible anecdote, and make sure that picture never..."

Then, he paused mid-sentence. Byakuya's eyes widened momentarily, as he caught sight of someone approaching over Ichigo's shoulder.

"Here comes the current head of our family. I hope you have at least some manners and that you choose to mind them. If you embarrass me, Rukia, or the Kuchiki family in the slightest, I'll make sure to kill you myself," Byakuya whispered in threat.

The whisper in no way diminished the intended venom.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You should grab a drink and relax a little more. This is still a party, even if you've tried to suck all the fun out of it with that dour attitude," Ichigo huffed back with a brief scowl. "You don't have to have a stick up your ass just because everyone else here does."

Ichigo's response only made both Byakuya and Rukia more nervous. Byakuya actually paled, certain that Ichigo would do the exact opposite of what was asked just to torture him. Rukia seemed to read Byakuya's thoughts with her next utterance.

"Ichigo, please!" Rukia pleaded, "Maybe you should just let me do all the talking."

Ichigo didn't have an opportunity to answer. Rukia and Byakuya instantly turned stoic faces to the incumbent couple before them. To both their horrors, Ichigo's casual smirk remained.

"Byakuya, this party is perfect for the informal announcement. Everyone expected came. It seems that you, also, managed to keep the press almost non-existent, although I assume you have all the pertinent publications attending the press conference on Monday. I, also, trust that you will not make me regret my choice," Rukia's grandfather said in a tone that complimented and challenged at the same time.

Byakuya nodded, simply replying, "Of course."

"And I see that Rukia mangaed to come. We don't get to see enough of this young lady now that she's away at school," Rukia's grandmother greeted Rukia with halfheartedly feigned warmth that didn't fully mask the distaste in her eyes. "And who is this young man here? He can't be one of _your_ acquaintances, Byakuya."

Byakuya saw his grandmother's eyes flick to Ichigo's hair and inwardly cringed, as she momentarily pursed her lips. He had spent so much effort getting them to accept Rukia thus far to have it instantly undermined.

"Great-grandmother, this is Kurosaki Ichigo. We met at the academy," Rukia sweetly replied with an uncharacteristically cheerful smile.

Rukia gripped Ichigo's hand hard enough that she was surprised he wasn't screaming in agony from broken bones. The delay in response seemed to drag on forever. Saccharine smile momentarily faltering, Rukia resisted the urge to break eye contact with her great-grandmother to look at his face.

The next few minutes of conversation and judgment would decide her happiness. Rukia hoped that Ichigo understood just how important it was that the current head of the family approve of him or at least not be horribly insulted. On the other hand, Byakuya merely hoped Ichigo could keep his mouth shut.

"Well then, pleased to meet you, Kurosaki Ichigo. As I'm sure Rukia has already told you, I'm her great-grandfather, Kuchiki Kouta, the head of the Kuchiki family. Now, let me introduce you to ..."

Obviously impressed with his own introduction, let alone the objects of his introduction, the dramatic pause allowed Ichigo to turn to the woman standing next to him and seamlessly usurp control of the conversation. Ichigo intended to assuage Rukia's worry. Her bone crunching grip on his hand made up his mind about what he needed to do; he only regretted the lack of forewarning given to Rukia.

"I'm guessing this lovely lady must be your wife," Ichigo said, "Kuchiki Ryo. Seeing you and Rukia side by side, I'm certain she must have inherited her immeasurable beauty from you. I'm pleased to have Rukia introduce us, albeit sooner than I expected."

Ichigo felt it best to play it safe in the beginning and bide his time. He started with a blatant compliment. Of course, it wasn't just praise for Ryo. After their tepid welcome to Rukia, Ichigo wanted to make it clear what he thought of her with everything said. A compliment for them would turn into an equal compliment to Rukia. He calmly awaited her response with a confident smile.

Ryo's smile spread to her eyes. While bearing the family name, even an adopted Kuchiki needed to be mindful of with whom she associated. She didn't expect anyone her adopted great-granddaughter associated with to display anything more than an awkward imitation of proper manners, especially someone with hair like _that_. She just needed to verify lineage.

A vague, yet definite, connection with any of the other noble families would do. This could be a chance to unload the lingering result of Byakuya's distasteful mistake on this boy. Tonight her husband would make the announcement. Perhaps it would dazzle the boy enough that she could make the boy an offer. Bribe is such a nasty word. The problem of Rukia could be taken care of silently in tandem. With that thought, her smile widened.

"Oh my! You seem to know who I am without my ever having met you, but don't you look familiar? I'm sure I or my husband _must_ know your parents or at least met them in passing at an event."

"Ryo is quite right. The name Kurosaki does sound familiar," Kouta politely added to his wife's solicitation for more information from Ichigo. "I just can't remember where I ever heard it. It seems like it's been quite some time."

*****

A/N: I hate that I ended the chapter here, so it's a good thing I'll post the rest of the encounter soon. Atlhough, I assume that everyone has some idea of what's about to happen;)


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN – posted 6/25 **

(previous chapter also posted today, if you just skipped to the most recently posted entry and suddenly get confused by the first line:P)

Rukia and Byakuya both stood frozen, stunned into silence by Ichigo suddenly having spotless manners and graceful verbal tact. His having taken control of the conversation in one smooth fell swoop proved no less impressive. Rukia fought to keep the confusion from showing on her face, even with her Kuchiki training.

This wasn't the Ichigo that she _needed _to threaten into silence, was it? Could he even be the crass Ichigo she'd casually fought with for years and introduced to her brother a few hours ago? Later, she would make Ichigo pay dearly for whatever he was about to say for the sole reason that she didn't already know what it would be.

Byakuya wasn't sure whether to pray for salvation or bask in relief. Luckily, his icy Kuchiki demeanor almost eradicated the need to immediately choose. The boy's sudden manners probably meant that he didn't have to worry about him blurting out something horribly rude.

Then again, there was the issue of him already knowing the name of both of his grandparents. It, also, didn't help that he could tell that the boy's behavior blindsided Rukia too. It made him uneasy for the conversation to come, although he felt a strong reassurance that the boy at least wouldn't hurt Rukia.

"I'm sure it has. Both of my parents have been absent from the social eye for over a decade. Even I have only been at select events with my grandfather in an informal, anonymous capacity. Since I'm here with Rukia, I assure you it's nothing shameful. We've been delaying my societal introductions for strategic reasons, but let's not talk business tonight."

"Well, we certainly _must_ be acquainted with your grandfather, then, but what of your parents?" Ryo promted, , eyes narrowing with her struggle to figure out exactly who he was before he told her.

The moment Ichigo had started his answer, Rukia became afraid that her brother was going to have a heart attack, although she didn't know exactly why. Panic and shock were not emotions she usually saw in his eyes. There had to be something that she – and her great-grandparents too – missed, but Ichigo hadn't said anything that should do this to her brother.

"Well, I'm told that I resemble my mother, Kurosaki Masaki, but you might be more apt to recognize her by her maiden name – Yamamoto Masaki," Ichigo said, dryly.

Ichigo took a moment to glance at Byakuya, making sure that he wore the look he expected. Rukia might kill him later, so he figured he should at least enjoy the moment of the delivery. He didn't want Byakuya to suffer exactly, but he delighted in shaking up such a stoic guy, especially one that threatened to take away Rukia.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rukia spotted Nanao. She ceased conversing with a nearby group and immediately walked to Byakuya's side when she caught the look on his face. She put a hand discreetly on his arm and locked eyes with Rukia. In turn, Rukia gave her a look of unending gratitude for having such an amazing sense for her brother's emotions and needs.

"Oh, yes, I definitely remember your _wonderful_ mother," Ryo exclaimed with delight.

Ichigo fought to keep his smile from morphing into a smirk, as he watched Ryo's eyes widen slightly, as the connections snapped into place. He hoped that she regretted her earlier greeting to Rukia and its unfavorable tone. Never would he drag such a conversation out, if not to make sure everyone understood that they shouldn't stand in his way with Rukia.

"I'm not surprised that you don't recognize why the name Kurosaki sounds familiar to you at first; my father's side of the family moved abroad ages ago, and my father himself officially stepped out of public life and assumed a more modest lifestyle to raise my sisters and me. I've enjoyed the anonymity immensely."

"Knowing your mother, it's easy to remember your father. His name is Kurosaki Isshin, if I'm not mistaken," said Rukia's great-grandfather interjected. "He was delightful to have at any event, so unconventionally well-mannered."

Ichigo nodded and smiled. Rukia noted that unconventional described the man she had met perfectly. However, she had trouble imagining him being well-mannered or attending any Kuchiki event. Hell, she had trouble imagining the conversation that was currently going on around her. She had a feeling her brother shared the sentiment, minus the thoughts about Ichigo's father.

"Your parents were one of the happiest couples I've even seen. Everyone _loved_ Masaki," Ryo added whistfully, voice softening as she said, "We all miss her dearly."

Rukia momentarily forgot her urge to kick Ichigo for not telling her everything before now when she caught sight his eyes. She began to open her mouth to say anything at all to change the subject but was beaten to it. She wasn't the only one that noticed how Ichigo's eyes seemed to close down, become empty.

"It was terrible, but I'm sure you don't want to talk of such things right now. What is Isshin, you father, up to these days?" Kouta asked. "Everyone thought he'd be working with your grandfather, even being named to a top spot at Seireitei Limited, after he married Masaki. He has a good head on his shoulders."

Once again, Rukia conjured a conflicting image of Ichigo's kooky father and the kind of man that would normally be in a top spot in what was probably _the_ foremost international privately owned corporation popped into her head. It made just as much sense as Ichigo suddenly revealing himself as the heir to said family and corporation. Something about their meeting long ago must have allowed her brother to make the connection before Ichigo explained it.

"He still works with my grandfather but never had those aspirations or the obligation. He prefers to keep a low profile. Right now he's focusing on my sisters and a small, private clinic model project he started with my mother. I've been helping both my father and grandfather in some capacity since late junior high."

"Hmm... now that I've had a few minutes to jog my memory, I seem to recall seeing you at select events. Your, ah," Kouta said, pausing to clear his throat. "appearance is distinct. I don't think anyone could have done a better job properly educating you and simultaneously keeping your identity secret."

"I'll make sure to relay your compliments to my grandfather."

"Maybe we could introduce you to some of our family and guests tonight?" Ryo offered, eagerly jumping in once again. "Yes! I have some exceptionally beautiful great-nieces that would love to meet you. I assume that you will become quite popular with the ladies, once they find out that you exist."

"Regardless of others' designs, I can't imagine any girl being more beautiful than Rukia. She is the most captivating girl I've ever seen or spoken with," Ichigo said with a firm challenge in his voice.

"But surely you _must_ be looking for a _suitable_ girl to settle down with," Ryo prompted with a knowing look. "I could introduce you to..."

Ichigo's eye twitched in annoyance. This woman was insufferable. It was bad enough she said it, but did she not realize that Rukia was _right in front of her_? She was acting as if serendipity brought Rukia to stand at his side during their conversation. Fortunately, his urge to smack her took a backseat to just making her stop talking.

"True or not, I am actually keeping a low profile until my grandfather's event next month. I would have kept my real introductions limited to Byakuya, Nanao, and, of course, Rukia, had I not realized how rude it would be not to introduce myself properly to the head of my _girlfriend's_ family, given how serious I am about our relationship."

Ichigo smiled, hand moving from holding Rukia's own to her lower back, angling her towards him and effectively pulling her closer. Under Ryo's scrutinizing gaze, Rukia felt the familiar feeling on inadequacy creep into her belly, only to be held at bay by the touch Ichigo's hand on her back.

"Oh, I see," Ryo innocently replied. "I had no idea you hadn't simply run into each other moments before."

Ichigo hoped Rukia's great-grandmother would let the intended message take root and stifle any further introductions of any intention, if only for this evening. Fortunately, Ryo appeared appropriately humbled, looking from Ichigo to Rukia and back.

"I would appreciate your confidentiality in disclosure of this meeting prior to my grandfather's event next month," Ichigo said with smirk and still-firm expression, tightening his grip on Rukia to suppress the urge to call out her blatant lie.

Byakuya noticed that the look on Ichigo's face alone seemed to elicit an unspoken promise from his grandparents. This headstrong boy somehow had the upper hand – a daunting feat against the heads of the Kuchiki family, even after Ryo's obvious trespass.

He had given this boy a hard enough time that he wouldn't be surprised if he decided to retaliate. Ichigo apparently had the power to do so and then some. Byakuya felt nauseas.

"We wouldn't think of doing otherwise. I relish the opportunity to work with you in a business capacity at the very least. Did you see that your grandfather is here tonight? I'll have to let him know what a pleasing choice he's made for his heir when I see him," Kouta interjected, trying to change the suddenly awkward conversation. "Does he know you're here tonight?"

Lips slightly parted, it was all Rukia could do to keep from looking at Ichigo in amazement. She didn't think it was possible for Kuchiki Ryo to make a social gaffe that necessitated such an obvious change in subject. Even more unbelievable was that it didn't serve to remind of the Kuchiki family's power or status.

The most powerful man in the Kuchiki family was practically apologizing to Ichigo! And it was for insulting her! As startled as she was, Rukia was determined not to let her grandparents know that she didn't have any idea what they were talking about.

Rukia only knew that Ichigo's grandfather was a Yamamoto. However, her great-grandfather distinctly labeled Ichigo an heir. Everyone was acting as if Ichigo's grandfather was the _head_ of the Yamamoto family... which would make Ichigo his successor. No. No. No.

That would practically make him a prince – one that any female at this party would want for lineage alone. If that were the case, he would have never pursued _Rukia_ of all girls. Not even her own "family" wanted her. Ichigo itching to tell her something for the past few days gnawed at the corner of her mind. Rukia mentally kicked herself.

"Ichigo, didn't you mention that you spoke with your grandfather on the phone earlier this evening?" Rukia said.

She wanted to remind her great-grandparents that she existed to Ichigo as more than a bauble.

"I did," Ichigo started, before turning back to the Kuchikis. "I let him know that I would be arriving with my girlfriend instead of him. If I hadn't been so busy with my studies, I would have made sure to have Rukia meet him at a private dinner before this party. I'm sure you know how it can be at events like this," Ichigo said.

Rukia's great-grandfather nodded with a smile. Ryo was, likewise, obviously relieved that Ichigo's expression had relaxed.

"Like he said, Ichigo hasn't had a chance to introduce me to any of his extended family yet, only his father and sisters. We're only weeks from finishing our final year at the academy, and it's difficult to get anything done for ourselves with all the work and planning," Rukia said.

"She's right. We've had a lot to focus on. Luckily, my father planned a surprise visit," Ichigo agreed with an momentary, involuntary grimace at the memory. "He loves Rukia and has my sister planning an introductory dinner for her, Byakuya, and, of course, my grandfather as we speak."

Words riding on the mild shock of her almost-revelation, Rukia pounced on the chance to fill in some of the holes in the conversation.

"You know, Ichigo has told me that I will have to meet his grandfather before an upcoming party, but never told me exactly who is grandfather is."

"Why Old Man Yamamoto himself! Rukia, did you really not know!?" exclaimed Ryo in disbelief, unable to keep her composure.

Rukia's stomach flipped. A montage of memories flashed through her mind. They were memories of her fighting with Ichigo, her physically assaulting Ichigo, her verbally reaming Ichigo, her accusing Ichigo of indecencies, and her getting very, very close to Ichigo. She had acted like herself around him, and he had let her without a word.

Rukia had spent the day with Ichigo's family and never would have guessed they were nobles, let alone Yamamoto. Ichigo's father was an insane man who called her his third daughter and blatantly suggested she start having babies with Ichigo right away. Was that same man really a skilled veteran of parties like these?

"That's my fault. I'm not used to anyone knowing," Ichigo replied, smiling guiltily at Rukia, scratching his head. "I told my close friends so long ago that I kind of forgot that Rukia didn't already know! I mean, who could blame me for not being able to think of anything else when I have Rukia to consume my attention."

Ichigo subtly slipped his hand farther around Rukia's waist to pull her in even closer. She had to put her opposite arm onto the side of his chest to keep from being pressed flush against his body. Rukia could swear he was acting as if he fully expected bruises in penance for his omission.

"Ichigo...," Rukia whispered, eyes wide.

He was the same Ichigo she knew, despite his miraculous manners... not to mention his social status. A nobody like her still mattered to him. One of the most powerful people in the room had been nervous to ask her on a date, and she wasn't even a real Kuchiki. Her mind still needed a few moments to process reality.

"Just between you and me, I think your grandfather always secretly commiserated with your father over how much they both wished public life was a little less, well, public and mannerly. There always seemed to be a secret understanding between those two," said Kouta.

He was trying to end their conversation on a truly friendly note, undue his wife's damage. Ichigo noticed the genuine effort and smiled before replying.

"I don't doubt it."

"I'm not surprised that you got so caught up in other things that you forgot about it yourself," Kouta said, giving Ichigo a knowing smile and flitting his gaze briefly to Rukia. "It seems that you are quite serious indeed."

"I assume you're familiar with my grandfather's tendencies at parties? Where has he chosen to camp out tonight?" Ichigo said with his usual smirk.

"If you mean that he finds it easier to stay rooted to avoid fighting through the crowd. Well unfortunately, we saw him before he settled, and he'll be difficult to spot tonight," said Rukia's great-grandfather. "He agreed to lay as low as possible, given the purpose of this occasion. We can't have everyone scrambling for an opportunity to find out his successor before next month when I'm announcing our own."

Ichigo and Kouta smiled knowingly at each other. Byakuya had gotten himself under control and had regained his full stoic mask. Atmosphere back in equilibrium, Ichigo loosened his hold on Rukia, sliding his hand across her skin until he entwined their fingers.

"I trust you remember my request for discretion?" Ichigo asked.

"Of course. Knowing _and _seeing your here with my great-granddaughter and Byakuya is enough for me. If I mention meeting you before next month, I trust I am safe to mention that I met the Yamamoto heir and nothing more?"

They nodded at each other, silently acknowledging their agreement and the end of their conversation. Kouta gave Rukia the first genuine smile she'd received from either of her grandparents before gathering Ichigo and Byakuya to direct them towards Ichigo's grandfather. Ryo took the opportunity to have a private word with Rukia.

"If he's anything like either of his parents, this one is quite the catch. Even if he isn't, his name alone is," Ryo acerbically whispered to Rukia. "A _real_ Kuchiki might have a chance, but do you really think that _you_ can hold onto him for long or that he could really care about someone as expendable as _you_?"

The light tone of Ryo's voice was the opposite of her harsh words; an onlooker would think she had just paid Rukia a compliment. No one else but Rukia had heard. She paled and tried her best to assume a stoic mask. Her great-grandmother had given words to the horrible worries still bouncing around in her gut.

"Congratulations, Byakuya! I always knew you would have no problem steering this young lady in the right direction, but I never thought she'd be introducing us to the sole male heir of the Yamamoto family. Don't introduce him to too many people now, so I can really brag about meeting him before that celebration in a few weeks."

Byakuya could only nod at his grandfather's words. He couldn't find his voice, yet. All of his concentration was needed to keep his famous icy composure.

"It'll be great to stick this in Aizen's craw later ... ha ha ha... That'll knock that little faux-cialite ladder-climber down a few rungs."

Byakuya only nodded again, even though his grandfather's wording alone was outrageously out of character.

"Don't worry, Kurosaki; I won't mention your name, just that I've met the heir! I'm assuming we'll all get special invites to Yamamoto's party in a few weeks, since the guest of honor is here with _our_ Rukia. If I had any doubts about my own announcement tonight, I wouldn't after this."

The head of the Kuchiki family slapped Byakuya on the back, grinning, before he led his wife to the dance floor.

"Did he just give you credit and congratulate you for my relationship with Rukia?" Ichigo questioned, eye twitching.

"Kurosaki, I just may have that drink you suggested earlier, as my grandfather has obviously had his share. In fact, I think I need one after _that_. You are going to accompany me."

*****

A/N: I figure that if Ichigo can't literally fight for Rukia, he could at least have the skills to do it this way. I know it gets a bit ooc for my non-cannon characters at the end, but it was funnier that way after such a bland conversation. But I mean, it was so bad even the characters noticed, so I'll understand if readers don't like it. I know that this is a lot to spend on one moment really, but I think it's a very important moment, like a battle of sorts.

Thanks so much to anyone who didn't hate me for posting late AGAIN! To everyone else, I hope this extra post makes up for it! It might need until Saturday (instead of my usual Friday) to post the next chapter, though.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN – posted 06/30**

That didn't sound at all like a request, Ichigo thought, while simply staring at Byakuya with eyebrow raised. Except for the comment about needing a drink, he looked utterly unfazed at the moment. Ichigo considered poking Byakuya's face to see if it was covered in some kind of putty mask that prevented any emotional display.

"Are you some kind of inhuman robot?" slipped from Ichigo's lips.

With that query, it appeared to Rukia that Ichigo was back to his typical self. She was surprised to see that Byakuya didn't even blink from Ichigo's remark, turning to her instead.

"Rukia, I apologize. Do as you please for the moment, but let me speak with Kurosaki _alone_," Byakuya motioned Ichigo over to a bar/lounge area with him.

Ichigo squeezed Rukia's hand and let it slip slowly from his, as he left her behind with Nanao to follow Byakuya. Rukia involuntarily shivered. After Ryo's caustic remarks, the loss of Ichigo's hand felt like the loss of the sun itself. She was in total shock and suddenly felt so silly. Her stomach churned, threatening to spew her dinner onto the floor.

"Are you alright, Rukia? You don't look like you're handling this much better than your brother," Nanao asked with concern. "I know he looks just as stoic as ever, but I think I saw his eyes widen for almost an entire second."

Rukia didn't seem to think Nanao was funny or perhaps hadn't even heard a word of what she said. Nanao sighed, putting a friendly arm around Rukia's shoulders and giving her a weak smile. The physical contact jerked Rukia back to her surroundings; she hadn't been listening.

"Nanao... I-I-I don't know what to do!" Rukia said in a voice that came out in an unintentional whisper.

"Well, the Rukia I saw arrive at the house earlier today would give Kurosaki Ichigo a piece of her mind... and maybe her fist, actually... at putting her in this situation to begin with," Nanao said with a mischievous grin.

"But I can't now that I know he's...," Rukia started with shock.

Nanao cut her weak voice off with a sharp sigh.

"That he's what? That he's in love with you? He's clearly always known that he's the Yamamoto heir. Do you really think that his feelings have suddenly changed?"

Rukia shrugged glumly. She knew what Nanao expected her answer to be, but she wasn't sure if she really thought that he would still feel the same way about her. Ryo's words replayed in her mind.

"I'm sure you've already told him how you became a Kuchiki, right?"

Rukia nodded.

"And I know you're dense... er, shy about romantic stuff, so I'm sure he was the one that instigated the relationship, right?"

Rukia nodded, not appreciating being called dense.

"And I'm sure you just short of physically beat the importance of impressing your family tonight into the boy?"

Rukia nodded, yet again.

"And I'm sure he didn't protest too much when you did it, right?"

Rukia nodded again, involuntarily starting to smile a little at the memory of giving him an especially good whack in the car on the way from their school.

"And from the sound of that conversation with your great-grandparents, I assume he's already told you that he's crazy in love with you, right?"

Rukia nodded a fourth time, grinning at the thought of Ichigo being 'crazy in love' with her, no matter what his family connections.

"Then you have nothing to worry about, Rukia. This boy obviously doesn't care about anything other than just being with you! I'm sure he has some asinine and blatantly misguided reason for not telling you that we can laugh about later. Now, tell me everything, and I do mean _everything_!"

"Nano! I can't tell you _everything_!" Rukia squeaked in surprise.

"Now that you've said that, I know you're going to have some good stuff to tell me."

******* **

Sliding onto a stool, Byakuya immediately ordered some sake that Ichigo wasn't familiar with. Ichigo assumed it had to be of good quality for Byakuya to choose it, though, and made a note for when he would have to do the ordering sometime. The bartender poured them each a modest glass and smiled encouragingly. Byakuya emptied his glass in one gulp before the bartender had even turned away, signaling for an immediate refill.

Byakuya didn't know where to start with so many things having suddenly gone awry. He had known Ichigo as 'that little punk that kicked his ass in his own dojo' and had acted accordingly. He had always tried to look out for Hisana's little sister, after all. Byakuya frowned. Now he knew why Yoruichi had said that fight would come back to bite him in the ass in the future.

Ichigo shifted uncomfortably in the seat beside him. He couldn't believe how awkward this was. Ichigo tentatively sipped his sake, looking at Byakuya out of the corner of his eyes. He sighed heavily and winced. Rukia would pummel him for doing this to her brother and not making amends... well, pummel harder than she would in the first place, anyway. Jabs could wait until later and probably wouldn't lighten the mood in the first place.

"Look, Byakuya, I... uh...," Ichigo began, turning to Byakuya and scratching his head.

Ichigo knew that it wasn't Byakuya's fault at all that he felt contempt for most of noble society, disregarded manners unless necessary, liked a good fight, and, yet, was the male heir to the single family that had both noble and royal lineage. Ichigo really would be a punk if he didn't do the right thing and make amends with the only family his girlfriend seemed to like. Avoiding making Rukia angry was top priority.

"Kurosaki, thank you for choosing not to embarrass myself or Rukia."

"I never want to do that," Ichigo replied. "I was kind of trying to stop Rukia from worrying so much about what her family would think of me."

"I still don't know how you can suddenly become almost as suave and well-mannered as I am. I do have to mention that it looks like Rukia is just as surprised. I think perhaps you didn't expect _that_ information to come out into the open tonight?"

"Well, I told you both not to worry about me tonight. You can still have manners and relax a little to make these things tolerable. Then, I couldn't stand the way they looked at her, spoke to her... I guess my having manners wasn't as relaxing for you as I had thought."

Byakuya could hear the lingering anger and disgust in his voice when he spoke of Rukia's treatment, even if the boy tried to smile at the end.

"I assure you that it's not the fact that you actually do have social skills that prevents me from relaxing right now. Why didn't you tell Rukia before tonight?"

Ichigo's smile turned genuine and nervous, as he scratched his head.

"I don't really know exactly."

"I _knew _it! You didn't think ahead and had no plan whatsoever," Byakuya practically exclaimed with vindication, before clearing his throat and continuing. "However, as much of an arrogant punk as you are, I can actually tell that you care for my sister, and I don't think that you would have kept something like this from her in a misguided attempt to torture me."

"Now way! I would never...," Ichigo said, affronted.

Byakuya gave Ichigo an incredulous look with one raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I'm sure you didn't mind that it could have gone very badly for me, depending on what you said. Apparently, you have the power to make me bow down in defeat, and after what I said and how I acted towards you earlier..."

"Well, I did like that shocked look that you had on your face for a split second, but I would never hurt Rukia for _any _reason. It wouldn't even occur to me to use her like that."

"Good. I'm not sure that we'll ever really get along, but I think that we can manage to keep things civil from now on, at least with Rukia, right Kurosaki?"

"Yeah, maybe we can work some of this out on the dojo or something from now on. That was a pretty exhilarating fight back then, and I wouldn't object if you'd want another ass-kicking... I mean rematch," Ichigo said with a grin.

"Hmm... eager to fight? That sounds just like someone I'm acquainted with," Byakuya said thoughtfully, recalling the last time he had seen Zaraki Kenpachi.

He smiled at the thought of introducing him to Ichigo, but he could save that bit of payback for a later date. Then, a thought struck him. Perhaps it wasn't just a coincidence that one of the best security enforcers in the business, especially one who worked almost exclusively for Sereitei Limited, took a part-time position at the school where the Yamamoto heir secretly enrolled. Perhaps Kenpachi could actually be discreet.

"Has Rukia told you that I was married to her older sister, Hisana?"

Ichigo nodded. His eyes followed the bartender, as he answered Byakuya's signal for his eighth refill. Ichigo glanced down at what was his first cup, still half-full. He didn't like where this conversation could go.

"Well, I strongly doubt that Rukia knows how much I did -- and still – love Hisana, since I barely knew her and she was still so young when Hisana died. Her dying request to take care of Rukia has always been of the utmost importance to me. I want to make sure she has every opportunity I can provide for her. I had a plan for her."

Ichigo's scowl reappeared to match the grave tone in Byakuya's voice.

"Rukia is important to me too, Byakuya."

"Are you serious about my sister?"

"Of course!" Ichigo emphatically replied.

He felt sweat materialize on his brow. Being asked and answering that single question felt more nerve-wracking than the entire conversation he just had with the head of the Kuchiki family.

"I repeat. You're not just toying with her, just because you can?"

"Definitely not! I've never cared about lineage and that kind of nonsense, until tonight. It was just an obligation I fell into that I figured I could use to do some good for someone besides myself. I care about my dad, my sisters, and Rukia. I had the power to make those assholes pay. I'm going to be able to protect Rukia and make her happy."

Byakuya noted the conviction and truth in his voice.

"Good. Then, I am going to demand that taking care of Rukia will be your top priority from now on as well. Why don't we agree to both finish these glasses of sake and do what's best for Rukia's happiness. If she suffers either directly or indirectly at your hand, I _will_ kill you."

Byakuya's expression conveyed disinterest and his voice sounded neutral, but Ichigo knew it was the most sincere threat he would probably ever receive in his entire life. Ichigo couldn't believe this man's ability to conceal his emotions, but he was sure Byakuya was definitely warming up to him.

"I guess that we're in perfect agreement, then. I'd kill me too."

"I'd prefer you'd only painfully injure yourself, so that I could still kill you," Byakuya deadpanned. "Should the situation happen to arise."

"Hey now, Byakuya, didn't you say something about us getting along a moment ago? Have you always been this serious about everything?"

"Don't push it, Kurosaki."

"Oh, and don't call me Kurosaki. In case you haven't guessed, I really hate all those stuffy formalities."

"I don't think we're that close. It wouldn't be appropriate. That reminds me, you shouldn't call me..."

"Actually it is a little appropriate. I'm sure you know how I feel about Rukia and that Rukia returns my feelings. You should really expect to be _my_ brother pretty soon too. I mean, you already said your grandfather loves me, right? I'll take that and our discussion just now as official Kuchiki approval for my intentions."

As the words came out of his mouth, Ichigo realized exactly how much he meant what they unmistakably implied.

"Wait... I never said anything about giving approval," Byakuya said with a frown. "And I forbid you from every referring to me as your brother."

"It was implied. Besides, I'd fight to the death for Rukia, even if I didn't have my family name as a guarantee. You know, I can't wait to get you in a room with my crazy old man. He's not big on manners either."

Ichigo grinned at the thought of his father and Byakuya in the same room.

"I assume I don't have a choice, given the situation?"

Ichigo only smirked, delighted that he could make someone as uncomfortable as he was at events like this. Byakuya and Ichigo both drank the remainder of their sake, setting empty sake glasses on the bar and walking towards Rukia and Nanao.

"I must be in an alternate universe. It's like I'm being tortured for something in a past life!" Byakuya whispered to himself.

As they made their way to where they left Rukia and Nanao, Ichigo was starting to tire of the the countless obligatory introductions for which Byakuya had to stop on their way back from the bar. Watching yet another dry, formal greeting, Ichigo realized that it would be him next month and groaned.

"Byakuya, since this is taking forever anyway, would you mind if we find my grandfather before we get back to Rukia?"

Byakuya only nodded, shifting his trajectory without hesitation.

"Ah, Kurosaki, my boy, how good it is to see you here as a _guest_," Yamamoto greeted Ichigo as he approached.

"Thank you. It's quite a different experience than I've had as a part of your staff," Ichigo said with the utmost formality. "I'm sure you remember that I told you I was coming with my girlfriend, Kuchiki Rukia. Well, this is her brother, Kuchiki Byakuya. I'm sure you recognize him, especially since he's the guest of honor."

"Of course I do! You know, Kurosaki, just because Kisuke has some more to do without you here this evening, doesn't mean I'm lost," Yamamoto said with a smile. "Although I trust you will be arriving with me for the event next month. I will need my full staff for such an important event."

If Byakuya hadn't known, he wouldn't have been able to tell that Ichigo was anything other than a top assistant that had the luck to attend the party as a guest and was granted the night off.

"I don't believe I have a choice otherwise," Ichigo replied with a nervous smile, before pointing to Byakuya as he said, "But, uh, he already knows. It kind of happened by accident when I was talking with Kuchiki Kouta and Kuchiki Ryo."

His grandfather sighed, obviously not very surprised, and simply said, "It was only a matter of time... one month away too. Alright, why couldn't you follow the plan? What did you do?"

"Nothing! They snubbed Rukia, and I couldn't stand it! But they won't say anything to anyone else. Ah, Byakuya thought it would be best (and, I admit, a little fun) to have him introduce me after that, though."

"What kind of introduction has he been giving to someone associated with the Yamamoto family. Since you're normally here in my entourage, I am, naturally, concerned."

"I thought it best to be introduced by my name, and then simply as Rukia's date and Byakuya's long-time friend."

Yamamoto paused before turning to Byakuya with a serious expression. Byakuya had only had brief contact with this man before, never expecting meet him without his grandfather and in such a fashion.

"Excellent. I believe we've been briefly introduced before by your grandfather, and I'm sure you'll agree that this is far more amicable than a business meeting. The young lady my grandson has become so attached to was the sister of your late wife, if I'm not mistaken."

It wasn't exactly a question, but Byakuya nodded his head in affirmation.

"And you're a long-time friend of Kurosaki, huh? Oh, I suddenly seem to remember a story I heard," Yamamoto said with a chuckle, eyes suddenly twinkling with laughter. "I believe it involved a sword fight."

Byakuya glared at Ichigo, since he was the likely culprit. He only smirked back and shrugged. It had actually been Urahara Kisuke. That man loved to make trouble, especially for Ichigo. He had an uncanny ability to sense how to make trouble in the future too.

"Now, I can't forget to congratulate you for the upcoming announcement, Kuchiki Byakuya. I am delighted that my boy, Kurosaki, is your long-time friend. He does exceptional work. I will have to invite you and your lovely sister for a more private dinner in the coming weeks. Kurosaki, make sure that everything is arranged with Byakuya as soon as possible, after checking with certain relatives of mine that I would like in attendance."

Byakuya was stunned by the invitation, although his stoic mask hid it perfectly. It was unlikely that the head of the Yamamoto family would accept a dinner invitation from Byakuya, let alone extend one to him. Yamamoto did not lightly extend private dinner invitations, and he _especially_ did not make a point of raising his voice to let everyone nearby know he extended a private dinner invitation.

"It would be an honor. Thank you for the invitation. I will look forward to it," Byakuya replied, glancing at Ichigo out of the corner of his eyes.

Yamamoto knew that his grandson's girlfriend wasn't a real Kuchiki and, furthermore, that Byakuya wasn't actually a long-time friend prior to extending such an invitation. He was making it clear that he was well aware of the situation and had made his decision thus. Byakuya did not fail to miss either point.

Just when he thought he couldn't be anymore shocked, Byakuya realized that next month everyone here tonight would remember him introducing them to Kurosaki Ichigo, since anyone circling the room with the guest of honor would be of note. Ichigo had also given him credit for the introductions when he had only begrudgingly agreed to do the introductions. Ichigo was to be introduced publicly as the Yamamoto heir in less than a month.

Ichigo had just done in less than an hour what even his great-grandparents could not have managed in an entire evening. He wondered how much of it was by accident and how much the boy had been able to design. It could mean everything or it could mean nothing. The boy... er, Ichigo just exercised his influence presumably all for Rukia.

**********

Nanao had been appointed as Byakuya's personal assistant almost directly after Hisana's death, although she had worked for the Kuchiki family and thier business in some capacity since her university days. She had seen Byakuya's personality instantly harden into the man his family had always expected him to be after Hisana's death, especially in regard to Rukia. Anyone could see that Rukia's resemblance to Hisana is striking. Before he had learned to conceal it, she had seen the pain in Byakuya's eyes.

When Rukia was younger and home on school breaks, Nanao had taken her out on secret shopping trips to buy manga. Nanao always told Byakuya that they were going out to peruse clothes, and it always worked like a charm. He seemed relieved that Nanao was keeping Rukia occupied and away from himself. They still went when Rukia grew older, though not as frequently.

Now, Rukia couldn't help but find herself of all people engrossed in a heated discussion. Nanao made her life suddenly sound crazier than the most absurd shoujo manga plot line. Although she refrained from encouraging her, Rukia silently agreed that it at least felt like it should be for the past month. Nothing with Ichigo seemed to go as planned.

"So, I've been dying to ask you something since you arrived with that boy in tow," Nanao said with a grave face.

"What is it, Nanao?" asked Rukia, as she finished a giggle.

"Are you at this very moment pregnant with the love child of Kurosaki Ichigo? And does he know about it yet?"

Rukia blushed and frowned. She wasn't sure if Nanao was serious or not.

"Of course not!"

"Why haven't you told him!?" Nanao gasped.

"What!? How could I b... eh... wha... I'm na... ha... ah... T-there is nothing for him to know about!" Rukia frantically stumbled over her reply, reddening further.

It sounded like something Ichigo's father would have said, except without the unmistakable sincere hope he would have had in his voice. Rukia was just about to tell Nanao about her surprise introduction to the Kurosaki family.

"Hold that thought Rukia," Nanao said with a smile. "Get ready to give your boyfriend a piece of your mind.

*****

A/N: Sorry for the gap in updates. I wasn't sure where I was going to stop this chapter and wanted to have the one after it written before I decided. If I get Chapter 19 written before Friday, I'll consider posting both 18 and 19 by Sunday. Chappy9 and Ayeobe... thanks so much for the encouragement, since I can't reply to your reviews directly. Also, Nekura Enzeru gets a special A/N thanks for helping me work somethings about Ichigo's inner works out more clearly and to SilverxSeraph for such a great (and long) review;)


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Would anyone really make the mistake of thinking so at this point?

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – posted 07/03**

Nanao casually gave her boss a once over, looking him up and down, while trying to ignore a scowling Ichigo miming something about drinking behind his back. Drinks or not, he definitely looked more composed than when he left. It was hard to believe he could spend any time with Ichigo and come out looking _more_ composed. Her eyes flicked to Ichigo.

The look he was giving Rukia made Nanao ache with jealousy. She wasn't jealous exactly, just the look that Rukia was getting, regardless of who from. Nanao wondered what it would feel like to have _any_ man look at her with eyes like that. With a defeated sigh, her gaze returned to Byakuya and his stoic eyes. She sighed again.

Unfortunately, being a live-in twenty-four hour assistant made meeting anyone that wasn't Byakuya problematic. Her best chance was one of Byakuya's acquaintances hiring someone she wanted to date. Of course, that necessitated Byakuya wanted to spend enough tine with that acquaintance. Nanao frowned as she calculated the probability. It was a good thing she liked to read so much.

"Hey, Rukia, I think I need to apologize to you for what just happened with your great-grandparents," Ichigo smiled nervously. "It's been really hard for me to try to tell you, and I just didn't think it would come up tonight. I should apologize for not telling you a bunch of stuff sooner and surprising you like that."

"Yes! You should have!" Rukia stomped her heel onto Ichigo's foot in offense. "That was the lamest apology I've ever heard!"

Ichigo cringed in pain and bit his lip to muffle a pained outburst when her spiky heel made contact with his shoe. Damn! Who knew such tiny shoes on such a tiny girl could hurt _so_ much? He watched her narrow her eyes into a glare, even though she had just been giggling with Nanao during their approach.

"Rukia!" Byakuya gasped, more concerned over someone seeing, rather than the act itself, since someone had to make the boy suffer when he could not.

"You should _not_ have let me be caught off guard like that."

"You're right," groaned Ichigo.

Rukia was a bit disappointed that he didn't say anything and was trying to hide his considerable pain. She was hurt and little riled up. This was not the best time for Ichigo to _finally _admit that she was right about something. Arguing with him over his new injury for a few moments was what she wanted.

Unfortunately, almost against her will, the anger began melting away. She wanted to be angry. Thanks to her manga, she knew the next step would be to freeze him out for at least the rest of the night. Rukia wanted either a real apology or a real fight. She still felt uncomfortable, partially from having been put in that situation and partially from how it wasn't enough to distract her from... other things she wanted to do with Ichigo.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again; I promise," Ichigo smiled and took her hand in both of his before continuing. "In fact, I don't think I'd like to keep anything from you ever again. I'll start with letting you know that your brother and I have called a truce of sorts. We both apologized and talked through some other things."

"You and my brother? Really?"

With disbelief, she looked from Ichigo to Byakuya. Her brother nodded, and Rukia turned wide eyes back to Ichigo.

"Ah, there is something else more important," Ichigo said with a cough, looking away nervously, "that I need to say."

It felt like a heavy rock settled in Rukia's stomach. She wasn't sure what news could be more important than finding out her boyfriend was the Yamamoto heir.

"Ichigo," Rukia breathed his name, afraid of what he would say.

He brought a hand up to the side of her face, cradling her jaw. Ichigo ran his tongue across his parted lips. His thumb brushed back and forth across the soft skin of her cheek, making her shiver. It looked like time had stopped for the two of them, as they stood staring, each entrapped by the other's eyes.

"I love you, and I'm sorry for not telling your earlier."

"That's it?!"

Simultaneously with her exclamation, Rukia brought her free hand up to slap Ichigo on the side of the head. Nanao's jaw dropped, and Byakuya's eyes widened.

"Oooow! What was that for, Rukia?" Ichigo howled, rubbing his head, scowling, wondering how apologies like that always seemed to work for Mizuiro. "I was apologizing, you evil midget!"

Byakuya had no idea his little sister actually was this violent and... lacking in proper manners. If he hadn't ever seen her this happy and relaxed, he might have been able to catalog it as a new development brought on by her relationship with the boy. They seemed to get along perfectly, and he found himself feeling a bit proud of her assertiveness.

"Stupid! Just come out and say it next time! Do you have any idea how nervous I was when you said there was something more important than that mother of all secrets you dropped on me today?" Rukia said, successfully fighting the urge to smile or fling herself into his arms. "Now, I demand you take me home right now, Ichigo!"

Crossing her arms, Rukia lifted her chin and looked off to the side.

"Rukia...," Ichigo started.

His eye starting to twitch at how stubborn she was being. Ichigo wanted to argue it out on the spot but knew he would lose that argument hands down.

"Don't even start. You're not just going to trick me into forgiving you just like that, especially after the lamest apology – ever!"

Ichigo just stared for a moment before heading off to have their car brought around. As soon as they were both out of sight, she turned to Nanao, grinning and forgetting Byakuya.

"Did you hear what he said, Nanao!"

"I can't believe you just did that," Nanao said with a giggle. "Now, it's obvious you're not mad anymore, but I have a feeling you won't let him know that for a while."

Ichigo returned with news that the car was ready and waiting to take them both to Byakuya's estate. The way he said it sounded suspiciously like mocking, making it easy for her to refuse eye contact when she strode towards the staircase. In the car, he failed to start conversation or make eye contact.

Despite her heeled shoes, she had stomped up the stairs. Ichigo had followed glumly behind, unable to see her grin. Rukia met his eyes only once the entire time, when she was slamming her bedroom door in his shocked face.

Sighing, Rukia dropped her manga in a drawer in the table by her bed. Sliding down into bed, she snuggled into her blankets, pulling them up to her chin. She paused with a frown, about to turn of her bedside lamp. Something didn't feel right.

Wiggling a bit only confirmed that she was, indeed, perfectly comfortable, but something was missing. She reached for her phone with a playful smile. If she wouldn't be able to continue his punishment until morning, then she could at least make it fun.

"Rukia? Thank god. I thought you'd never forgive me. I want to..."

When he answered, her heart leapt at the unmistakable sound of desperation in his voice.

"Ichigo, I need you to come to my room. I need to tell you something," she said, trying to sound aloof, bored, and slightly miffed.

"What is it?" he replied, "Not that I'm complaining, but why won't you tell me over the phone?"

Sighing with mock exasperation, she replied, "I just want to tell you in person."

"Ichigo? Ichigo?"she called into the phone with no response.

His name barely left her lips the second time before she saw Ichigo slip inside her door, closing it softly behind him. Rukia closed her phone and wiggled more securely under her blankets, pulling them up to conceal the grin she couldn't keep off her face.

"Can you come closer, right by my bed?"

"Of course. Now, what did you want to tell me?"

"I need you to turn off my lamp."

"You're right next to it. You called me out of bed and all the way into your room to turn off the lamp _right next to you bed_?!" he said, as she watched his eye begin to twitch with annoyance. "You barely have to reach an arm out."

"But I'm sooo comfortable that I didn't want to reach all the way over there, and you just happen to be standing right next to it."

"I see," he replied, narrowing his eyes but lifting his hand towards the lamp.

The moment the light went out, Rukia felt Ichigo throw back the covers and shove her to the side.

"Ichigo! Get out of my bed," she squeaked.

"No way! I had to come all the way in here just to turn off your lamp, and I'm not walking all the way back to my room when you've finally said something to me."

Ichigo clicked the light back on. She tried to stare him down, but he only smirked.

"At least let me have that side of the bed," said Rukia with a grandiose sigh and slight smile.

Ichigo smirked and climbed over her to settle under the blankets on the opposite side. After a few moments of silence, he flopped onto his back. Rukia turned over onto her side, clutching her pillow and forcing herself to only look.

"Rukia, isn't there anything you want to say to me, to ask me? I kind of kept a huge secret from you," he tentatively ventured, staring at the ceiling. "I know it's not okay."

"Isn't there something that you should be saying to me first?"

"Oh... Rukia, umm... well.... you see...being with you is the best thing that has ever happened to me. You're like an umbrella in a downpour. Rukia, I love you. I can't imagine losing you. I'm sorry that I was so stupid."

"Hmm... I thought about it for a while. I still don't like that you didn't tell me before you just blurted it out like that, but it would have been so easy to tell me that it only makes sense for you to have botch it up this badly after needed the bet to confess to me in the first place. You probably don't even have a good explanation. I'll forgive you, as long as you don't keep anything from me ever again."

Thank you for... wait... you're only forgiving me, because you had such low standards for me in the first place?" Ichigo asked, turning to face with with a scowl.

"I love you too, Ichigo," Rukia whispered, throwing her arms around him and pressing herself to his back.

Ichigo felt her pull away just as quick as she had jumped him in the first place. Grinning, he rolled over with the intention of pulling her back, only to find her sitting upright in bed with a sketch pad. Rukia was obviously concentrating hard, as her tongue poked out the side of her mouth.

"Isn't there something _else_ you'd rather be doing right now? Perhaps you'd rather do something with _me_ in your _bed_?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

She ignored him. Frowning, Ichigo began to reach for her sketch pad, intending to fling it across the room, and froze when she spoke.

"Which mustache do you like the best, Ichigo? There is the run-of-the-mill, straight across, Mr. Potato Head type mustache; the curly, evil villain type mustache; or the angry fencer type mustache," she stated with seriousness.

Rukia had drawn three bunnies with different types of mustaches. The sketch pad was turned to him, presumably so he could get a good look to make his decision.

"What the hell does a mustache have to do with anything?" said Ichigo, twitching in annoyance once again.

"Don't ask questions; just choose!"

Ichigo groaned.

"Well, I can't really say any of them look good, but maybe that's just because the drawings are all so horrible," he muttered, scratching his head.

The sketch pad came down on his head with brutal force.

"If you're going to be like that, I'll choose for you. Don't you dare complain if you don't like it!" she said, crossing her arms and looking away with a huff.

Rukia squealed, limbs flailing, as she felt herself being pulled sideways, back hitting the mattress less that a second later. She found herself staring up into Ichigo's amber eyes.

"_This_ is more like it," he whispered, leaning down, only to have Rukia grab his collar and pull him down to close the distance.

Breathing hard, hey pulled apart, eyes sparkling, cheeks flushed. Rukia grinned shyly, then, shoved Ichigo off and back onto his own side of the bed. He landed on his back with a grunt and a deep frown. Turning his back to Rukia he tried in vain to get comfortable.

Rukia turned over and settled in with a smile. This time she was completely comfortable; nothing was missing. Ichigo turned over to face Rukia's back. He gazed at her crown barely peaking out from the covers, her dark hair splayed on the light yellow pillow case. Twisted as it sounded, his desperation for her forgiveness earlier only made him want to be closer to her now that he could.

Smirking, he snaked a smoldering hand under Rukia's shirt at her hip and across the cool, silken skin of her stomach. Just as she closed her eyes, they shot open again in surprise. The unexpected feel of his skin on hers made her body jerk, as if hit by lightning, right before his hand simultaneously reached her other hip and pulled her back flush against the front of his body.

(A/N: And this is where those of you who would like to read my first attempt at a lemon get redirected to my separate post at: *.net/s/5187138/1/The_IchiRuki_Bet_Lost_Lemon*, otherwise, please take note of what they're about to do and continue.)

*****

Rukia stretched, breathing in Ichigo's scent, as she lazily turned bleary eyes to the clock beside her bed, the clock with the alarm she hadn't set the night before. Without taking her eyes from the ominously glowing numbers, she reached an arm behind her to shake Ichigo awake to no avail.

"Ichigo, wake up! We have to be downstairs for brunch in five minutes," Rukia screamed in his ear, as he pulled the covers over his head.

"Alright! I'm up," he grumbled. "I don't see why we can't just have brunch later. Leftovers are good."

Rukia scrambled out of bed, thankful she had pulled on enough of her clothes that she didn't have to try to take the sheet with her. That would have been... awkward, given how hard it is for her to pull the sheets off her bed while changing them at school. She tried not to imagine herself embarrassingly sprawled out in the middle of her bedroom floor.

"Go get dressed and meet me at the stairs in no more than three minutes," she demanded, grabbing a t-shirt and jeans from her overnight bad and slamming her bathroom door behind her.

She could hear him shuffle out of her room, complaining the entire time, and rolled her eyes. She almost fell over, trying to brush her teeth and pull her jeans on at the same time. Looking at herself in the mirror, she cringed. At least she would somewhat pass for being dressed, even though she had obviously just rolled out of bed.

When she opened her door and headed for the stairs, he mood instantly lifted. Ichigo stood waiting for her, similarly dressed and scowling. He hadn't had enough time to even begin washing off the curling whiskers she had drawn on his face after he had dozed off last night.

"Someone's not a morning person, huh?" she asked sweetly, innocently blinking her eyes.

"Maybe I would be if I wasn't going to brunch with _this_ on my face," he said, pointing to the object of offense, narrowing his eyes.

"I tried to show you drawings. If you had wanted one of the other options, you should have said so last night," she countered, eyebrow raised.

Rukia couldn't believe she was still able to keep a straight face.

"What the hell, midget? What would make you think that I would even want an orange mustache in the first place? People are going to see me like this," groaned Ichigo from the beside her, trying not to raise his voice too much.

"Che, I can't believe you had really thought I would forgive you that easily. You're lucky I didn't smother you with a pillow instead."

Rukia tried not to grin. Ichigo was definitely a sound sleeper. He hadn't even twitched when she drew on his face. As she imagined Ichigo lying in bed with his mouth hanging wide open, not grinning was a lost cause. Rukia grabbed her stomach, laughing uncontrollably. She felt her knees giving way and shot a hand to wrap around the rail and hold herself somewhat on her feet.

"Besides, the... orange... matches... your... hair," she spat out whenever she was able to get a breath between debilitating laughs.

Before Ichigo could respond, the pair froze when Byakuya suddenly added to the conversation.

"Perhaps you should have slept in your own bed, if you're that opposed to having a mustache," Byakuya calmed stated, floating swiftly passed them without even a side glance. "You both might have had some incentive to get up in time to properly clean up for brunch too."

Ichigo turned wide eyes to the man that had apparently decided he would enjoy himself passive agressively, given that he couldn't actually kill Ichigo anymore. Rukia, appalled, gasped, the urge to laugh completely gone, replaced with horror at the supposition that he might _know_. She pushed off of the railing and grabbed Ichigo's arm to hold herself up, still a bit shaky from the laughter.

"I had to lock him in his room and slide an ungodly heavy piece of furniture from the hallway in front of it just to keep him from breaking down her door and killing you last night, Kurosaki," Nanao sighed from the steps behind them, startling them once again.

Nanao adjusted her glasses and descend the stairs, passing by them. Rukia noticed that Nanao was back to being her serious, all-business self. Hopefully, her brother would have enough for her to do that she wouldn't have a chance to hound Rukia for details before they left. Hopefully, she didn't know enough to know what she should be asking for details about.

"I'm not sure I want to go to brunch, Rukia. Can we just run out the front door and take the train back to school?"

Rukia tightened her grip on Ichigo's arm. Hopefully, her brother didn't know enough to know why he should have wanted to kill Ichigo last night, besides him simply being in her room. She hadn't even thought about where they were last night, but Kuchikis did not run away.

"I want to, but I think that might make things worse. Besides, they can't _possibly_ know. The brunch is always so good here too. We're staying."

Almost as if to make her point, Rukia's stomach growled loudly. Ichigo sighed.

"You are so lucky that you're worth it. Remember, I'm not above running away from your brother, if you change your mind, even in the middle of brunch."

Rukia kicked him in the shin.

"Running away like that would be weak," she said firmly, before dragging Ichigo down the stairs behind her. "And I happen to know first hand that you're not weak, at least not physically."

Ichigo blushed and almost tripped behind her.

*****

A/N: I know; I know. Stuff happened in this chapter, but the time line didn't really move all that much. For those of you that like a bit of a quicker pace, the rest of the story will progress a bit more like the pre-confession chapters.

Also, I'm sorry if Ichigo's reaction to the mustache was a bit lame. I tried to do field research by drawing a mustache on my boyfriend, while he was napping. That's actually when I had to idea to have Rukia sketch out Ichigo's options, because it's what I did;) Anyway, it doesn't work very well with light sleepers... I only got a quarter of the way before he woke up to me hovering over him, grinning sheepishly and holding a blue marker to his face.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

**CHAPTER NINTEEN – posted 07/09**

Ichigo couldn't believe his horrible luck. Yes, he was there when his grandfather invited Byakuya and Rukia to dinner. He, also, _distinctly_ heard his grandfather ask _him_ to make the arrangements. However, that seemed to have been far from his grandfather's actual intention.

Ichigo felt like he should have seen this coming, just from its sheer improbability. Still, he never expected his grandfather to team up with his father to somehow make his life as awkwardly miserable as possible. This was his grandfather's payback for breaking the rules; a fight with Kenpachi would have been better.

The most abhorrent breakfast of Ichigo's life had begun with Baykuya announcing that Kurosaki Isshin had called bright and early that morning. Byakuya had already officially accepted an invite to Kurosaki Family Game Night on behalf of Rukia and himself. Ichigo had that on top of his mustache and the deadly, knowing looked Byakuya kept giving him.

"I can't wait to see Karin and Yuzu again," Rukia happily hummed.

"I still can't believe that you are so excited about this," grumbled Ichigo.

He stuffed his hands deeper into his pocked and scowled.

"Of course! I've been studying seven letter words that sound made up but aren't, so that I can impress your grandfather with my game performance. I'm sure that my brother will get along with everyone just fine too. My brother is a Kuchiki and knows how to keep his composure, not matter what."

"Don't you see how this entire thing could go horribly awry? My grandfather might act like a normal human being, but you _did_ meet my father, right?" said Ichigo, getting only a sideways glare from Rukia in response.

The corner of his scowl twitched slightly upward with the thought of Byakuya interacting with his father, as he and Rukia turned the corner onto the block where his family lived. They reached the door just as Baykuya's car pulled up. At least Byakuya would definitely suffer at least as much as he would, given his stiff personality.

Byakuya wordlessly emerged from the car to stare disapprovingly at the Kurosaki Clinic building with the door to their modest residence beside it, as if it was some sort of trick. Nanao popped out right behind him. Byakuya and Ichigo exchanged terse greetings.

Ichigo looked at Rukia beaming beside him, sighed, and headed briskly for the door with her hand in his. Ichigo paused, hand midway through turning the doorknob. She felt Ichigo's grip on her hand tighten and looked up to see his eyes widen slightly, as he jerked her sharply off to the side.

"What kind of ridiculous thing are you...," Byakuya started to criticize Ichigo for almost throwing Rukia into the bushes.

Her brother barely had time to turn his head toward the door, as it metaphorically exploded open with a bang. After that, all Rukia saw was a foot collide with the side of her brother's face. She would never be able to forget the brief picture of her brother in mid-sentence with a foot implanted on the side of his face.

"Are you worried now?" Ichigo whispered in her ear from his place at her back.

Suddenly, her brother and who appeared to be Ichigo's father were tangled up together on the sidewalk in front of Ichigo's house. All she could do was blink with her mouth hanging open.

"Ichigoooooo, my boy! You have finally arr... Why, you are not my son at all, unless he's finally grown so ashamed of his loving family to undergo extensive plastic surgery!" Isshin wailed, shocking everyone even more. "Nooo! Ichigo! How could you not want to look as much like your handsome daddy as possible?"

Byakuya didn't know what to do or what to think. He couldn't seem to decide what part of just happened was most appalling.

"Get off Rukia's brother, old man! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ichigo barked with a scowl, tossing a rock at his head for good measure.

"That was the worst first impression ever," Nanao whispered to herself, before shucking her astonished fog.

A frazzled and dazed Byakuya was being helped off of the sidewalk by an equally frazzled Nanao, even though she had only watched. Byakuya's eye twitched. He tried to refrain from leaping at the man in a retaliatory attack.

"Ah! There you are, and you've brought my gorgeous third daughter!" screamed Isshin with delight.

Ichigo quickly stepped in front of Rukia, blocking his father's leap with a fist to his jaw.

"Dad!" Yuzu peaked out from the doorway in her favorite yellow with pink ruffle trim apron. "You should apologize to that man you just assaulted! I think he's our guest!"

Isshin jumped up, as if impervious to the pain of his two consecutive landings.

"Daddy is so sorry, Yuzu. I was just so excited to see Ichigo bringing home a girl, especially one as wonderfully tolerant of him as Rukia!" Isshin wailed before turning to Byakuya with a stunningly sober expression. "Please, forgive my actions. It is my duty as a father to keep my lazy son on his toes, so his reflexes don't get sloppy. I am Ichigo's father, Kurosaki Isshin. You are the brother of our lovely Rukia?"

"Kuchiki Byakuya," he said in simple introduction, before clearing his throat and continuing. "I'm pleased to meet you."

Byakuya tried to sound as sincere as possible but only managed mildly indifferent. He could still feel the side of his face throbbing from the sole of that man's shoe. It felt like he had donned track spikes before launching his attack.

"Oh ho! You're the one my son wiped the floor with a few years ago, aren't you? Come inside! Come inside!"

Byakuya's eye continued to twitch, as he was ushered through the front door. There had to be someone in Ichigo's family who wouldn't bring that up within moments of their introductions.

"Welcome to our home!" Yuzu quipped, as they stepped into the living room. "Please take a seat. I'm Ichigo's sister, Yuzu and this is Karin."

Yuzu stood just inside the door, hands clasped in front of her chest in delight.

"Rukia! It's so good to see you again," Yuzu said the moment she laid eyes on her.

Byakuya left Ichigo and Rukia in the foyer with Yuzu, following Isshin into the living room and taking the offered seat. There was a sofa with a love seat to one side and a pair of chairs on the other. He chose one of the chairs. A girl with shoulder length black hair and an overall appearance that screamed "tomboy" sat on the love seat opposite him with a bored look.

"Hey, didn't you just become the head of the Kuchiki Corporation? It was on the news this morning right before the game. You're Kuchiki Byakuya, right?" Karin asked.

"I am," Byakuya replied.

Her manners seemed a bit rough, as she failed to provide a proper introduction for herself, but he was inwardly pleased that someone remembered something respectable and duly notable about him.

"And aren't you the guy that Ichigo beat up when he was in junior high? Dad was prancing around the house with pride for weeks after that."

Byakuya's twitch was back; he could even see Ichigo smirking on the sofa out of the corner of his eye. Perhaps he didn't like this girl after all. This was not what he expected from a family in any way associated with Yamamoto's heir. It was a wonder Ichigo had manners at all.

"Why doesn't everyone have a seat, and I'll get some tea for everyone, while we wait for grandfather to arrive. He called a moment ago to say that his meeting ran a few moments later than expected," she said with a smile, the perfect hostess. "Hors d'oeuvres will have to wait until then."

"Yuzu, I'll help you," Rukia offered, raising from her spot on the sofa and following her into the kitchen.

Ichigo sighed in relief that at least Rukia was safely out of the room. Ichigo, Karin, and Byakuya sat staring wordlessly at each other. After a moment of silence, Isshin spoke up.

"So, Byakuya, how long have you and this lovely lady been dating?" he said, looking from Byakuya to Nanao with suggestively wiggling eyebrows.

Byakuya's eyes widened, as he turned to see Nanao standing behind and to the side of his chair with a single hand resting on the back.

"Oh, no, Kurosaki, I..." Nanao started, caught off guard.

"It's Isshin, please," he interrupted.

"Ah, right... Isshin, I am merely his assistant," explained Nanao, primly, while adjusting her glasses.

She felt uncomfortable calling Ichigo's father by his first name, however unusual the man may be. Actually, she didn't even remember coming in. She had intended to climb back into the car but had obviously let herself be ushered through the door before she realized it was happening. After that, she had become wholly engrossed in the awkward conversation.

"Oh, ho ho! I wouldn't have pegged you for being the kinky type in the bedroom, Byakuya, but I can understand. Ah! My family didn't exactly approve of her at first, so we eloped. Keeping up the whole assistant act for a little while after we got back probably led to Ichigo here," Isshin said, resuming his suggestive expression, as he sidled next to Byakuya to nudge him with his elbow.

"Dad! No one wants to hear that stuff!" Ichigo yelled, covering his ears.

"No, it's not like that at all," Nanao stated in defensively, a blush involuntarily creeping up her cheeks.

"What?! But you are far too beautiful not to at least have a boyfriend or admirers!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Oh, no, no, I don't even get to meet that many men to begin with. I love books and cats, books and cats," Nanao replied without thinking, coyly hiding her face behind one hand in embarrassment, waving her other hand in front of her in protest.

"You've never even had a cat," Byakuya found himself suddenly stating.

Nanao wanted to slap herself for voicing what she was coming to suspect would be her inevitable fate. Often, she thought she would end up working for Byakuya, until she was an old woman with nothing but books to keep her company.

"Oh, hahaha... maybe I meant to say Chappy. I do love Chappy, so perhaps I'll get a rabbit instead," she said, awkwardly trying to salvage her error and spin a more favorable interpretation. "I just mean that Byakuya keeps me so busy that I haven't really thought about it."

"What?! You can't forcefully keep a beauty like this to yourself forever," Isshin exclaimed with disbelief towards Byakuya. "She even wants a pet. That could be her loving maternal instinct. Hurry up and make your move!"

Ichigo wanted to roll on the floor laughing at Byakuya's obvious struggle to keep a straight face. Unfortunately, Byakuya and Nanao hadn't fully distracted Isshin from Ichigo, Rukia, and the prospect of grandchildren.

"If you get started now, perhaps your can have a child to play with the grandchild that Rukia and my son will be having soon," Isshin wistfully suggested.

Ichigo paled and jumped off the sofa.

"That's enough!" he interjected once again, except this time his words were accompanied by his fist. "Rukia is not pregnant!"

Looking at the insane man lying in the middle of the halved coffee table that broke his fall, Byakuya sighed. Nanao normally had flawless composure. This family was annoyingly contagious, although he was starting to appreciate Ichigo's violent outbursts.

"Hey, Byakuya, sorry about my dad. He's always like this, but maybe you'll get used to it," Ichigo said, knowing full well that no one could ever get used to it.

As Ichigo turned to fully face Byakuya, his nervously lopsided smile fell into a frown, and the hand that was scratching the back of his head dropped heavily to hang at his side.

"Kurosaki, is there any reason your father would have for thinking that my sister even would be carrying your child?" Byakuya growled, narrowing his eyes at Ichigo.

At that moment and upon hearing that question, Ichigo actually thought of a reason. He seriously considering leaping behind the sofa. As if the situation could get any worse, Yamamoto strode into the living room, his booming voice projecting through the entire house.

"She's _pregnant_!?!"

Ichigo frantically looked back and forth from Byakuya to his grandfather with wide eyes. It had all happened so quickly.

"Rukia is pregnant! Oh Ichi-ni, that's wonderful! I can't wait to be an aunt," Yuzu squealed from the door to the kitchen, accompanied by the sound of Rukia dropping the tray of tea.

Hearing someone say it pushed Byakuya over the edge. He lunged for Ichigo, seeing red. Before Ichigo could even enact his plan of taking cover behind the sofa, Nanao saved his life by latching onto Byakuya's arm as dead weight.

"Stop! You can't kill the father of Rukia's baby," Nanao pleaded in a panic, wrapping her legs around one of Byakuya's legs to completely debilitate the left side of his body.

Watching, Rukia suddenly felt nauseas. Her legs felt shaky; her head felt light. She felt the color draining from her face. Unable to do anything but stare at the scene in front of her, she thrust her right hand out to feel for the kitchen door frame to hold herself upright, bringing the left up to join it.

The thought had been nestled in the back of her mind for days, but hearing it out loud with such certainty was too much. What they had done and what they had forgotten to use while doing it had occurred to her when Momo had started to interrogate her after they had arrived back at school. She hadn't done anything thus far, except try not to think about what may or may not be.

"Did someone say that I was going to be a grandfather?! I knew my son had it in him!" Isshin cried, upon regaining consciousness just in time to potentially make things even worse. "Yuzu, bring out our best sake to celebrate!"

"We will not celebrate your son defiling Hisana's little sister in such an irresponsible manner!"

Still bursting with rage at the thought of that boy ravaging Hisana's little sister and being so careless with her, Baykuya swung the fist of his free arm into the side of Isshin's head. The man feel right back onto the table.

"That was a good shot, Byakuya!" Isshin said in clear compliment, before he started to raise himself once more. "I think they should name it Masaki, if it's a girl."

"It will be Hisana without question," Byakuya firmly responded, narrowing his challenging eyes at the bearded man.

Overwhelmed with dread, Rukia yelled out the only thing she could think of, not that she thought about it at all before she opened her mouth. She only wanted to break the horrible silence and get rid of the ringing in her ears.

"Z-Y-M-E-R-G-Y! Zymergy! It's the branch of chemistry dealing with fermentation!"

With that, Karin rose out of her spot on the chair and slapped Ichigo on the back, jolting him back from the state of shock he had been in.

"Great. I guess Rukia wants to hurry up and start one of the board games. I'll get on that. Anyway, thanks, Ichigo. Now Yuzu and I definitely won't worry about bringing anyone home to meet the family. Not that either of us want to, but how could it ever go worse than this?"

Ichigo thoughtlessly headed for Rukia's trembling form, reaching out to pull her away from the door frame and into his arms. Feeling her hands grab onto the front of his shirt, he knew she had realized the same thing that he had. Rukia certainly wouldn't be doing this otherwise.

"Welcome, grandfather," Yuzu greeted cheerfully. "Why don't you come in and have a seat."

"I think I shall," he said in an even, yet fully threatening, voice. "And I think that someone had better start with an explanation, a good explanation."

Ichigo locked eyes with his grandfather, swallowing hard. There was no way either of them was going to admit that they had any reason to do anything other than deny any and all speculation.

"Ah, it's not what you think. You see, my dad just got carried away... again," Ichigo sputtered, unable to image how nervous he would be without Rukia in his arms.

Silence fell over the room, as Ichigo withstood his grandfather's burning stare in wait for a response. Ichigo needed all of his concentration not to twitch uncontrollably at the thought that his denial had been a lie. The silence was broken only by a sigh of relief that Byakuya couldn't seem to hold back.

"I think _that_ is occasion to bring out the sake," Yamamoto finally stated with an expressionless face. "Isshin, just try not to get as maudlin as usual after a drink or two."

"I say we celebrate with another party next weekend, only we'll start right off with lots of sake and invite some friends. How does that sound, Byakuya?"

"Parties are always pleasant," Byakuya said, trying to sound noncommittal.

"Great. Let me know if Karin, Yuzu, and I can help or bring anything besides guests to the party."

Byakuya furrowed his brows, slightly dreading the answer to his next query.

"Did you just invite me to a party that I'll be hosting?"

"Of course! We haven't been to your place yet. Where else would we have it?" Isshin replied, as if his conclusion was only logical.

Nanao slid to the ground with a soft thud and a surprised squeak. Suddenly realizing what she had just been doing, her eyes grew wide. She hurriedly got to her feet and smoothed her skirt in place. Byakuya simply pretended that his long-time assistant had not just been clinging to his limbs like a monkey.

"Do you know for sure?" Ichigo breathed into Rukia's hair in a shaky voice barely above a whisper.

She shook her head from side to side and took her own shaky breath, raising her eyes to meet Ichigo's. Looking into hers, his eyes widened. They were both in a sort of shock, trying to hold off any of the panic they each felt.

"It's all right. We will figure things out when tonight is over, and we'll deal with it, no matter what," he whispered as much to himself as to Rukia.

"Well, we don't even know if there is anything to figure out, and I guess they did kind of get it out of their systems, if there is. An argument about baby names, rather than how to kill you, is a good sign, right?" Rukia replied with a weak smile.

Ichigo smiled in response to her words and her sudden composure. Then, they both took a few deep breaths in an attempt to relax. Rukia took Ichigo's hand, as he led them back over to the sofa and back into the melee.

"Go get our back-up coffee table, you old goat, so Yuzu has something to put the game boards on," Karin commanded, rolling her eyes.

Isshin dramatically sniffed.

"It seems that your loving father has somehow ended up being the one to apologize once again. I have to count on Ichigo for these things, since my pure and gorgeous daughters would never want to leave their doting father, even for a boy! I was just so excited that Ichigo had _finally _decided to give me a grandchild... with such dour inlaws too!"

"Dour inlaws?" Byakuya said quizzically. "Did your father just marry both of us off and call me dour?"

"Just calm down and go with it, Byakuya," Ichigo explained. "It's actually kind of a good sign that he's including you in his craziness, even if it's kind of insulting. It means he likes you and considers you a part of the family already. Congratulations."

"Shouldn't I be worried about your grandfather more?"

"Oh, he already approves of you, because he had my dad invite you to run the Kurosaki Family Game Night gauntlet. Anyway, my grandfather can't really refuse his approval if my father has already given his. I know it might not make sense at first."

Byakuya's eyes widened, his mind connecting the dots.

"Does my sister know that Yamamoto is a stalking horse?"

"Are you kidding? She'd kill me if I made a mistake like that again!" Ichigo replied, scratching his head nervously. "I got away with only a slap to the back of my head and her telling me that I was lucky my being both made it an irrelevant point."

"As she should have," Byakuya said, pleased that Hisana's little sister was finally getting what he wanted for her, albeit in a way he never could have dreamed.

Rukia felt like they all knew just by looking at her that she really could be pregnant and just chose to say nothing. Even Yuzu's innocent smile seemed to know, as she solicited Rukia's help arranging plates of appetizers on the dining table just outside their circle of furniture. Rukia rose to help without hesitation. It was best to try to keep busy with things outside of her own mind.

For the next couple of hours, she was determined to smile, laugh, and lose herself to the words with which she'd stuffed her mind in preparation for a swift board game victory. She would deal with this crisis like Hisana would have. She knew without a doubt that her sister would have done the same thing. Rukia would wait until Ichigo was the only other person to share her distress.

*****

A/N: Sorry about the late update. I'll try to get myself back on track with the twice a week schedule I've been keeping. I don't know what happened to all the time I thought I would have this past weekend.

Oh, by the way, I ended up hosting a 4th of July barbeque for my family. My little sister (#1) called me up on Wednesday and asked me if I thought a barbeque would be a good idea; then, she asked me if she should bring anything. Yeah, it went almost _exactly _like it did in my story. That kind of set the tone for the day. Right before we ate, my mom announced that it was great that we have so many skinny people in the "family." Of course, she went on to list everyone except me, one of my sisters (#2), and my other sister's (#1) new boyfriend. Unfortunately, my chubby phase has, apparrently, forever branded me as such. Also unfortunately, the new boyfriend used to be chubby and is solidly convinced that my mom thinks he needs to lose weight.

My boyfriend ended up telling the new boyfriend the same thing that Ichigo told Byakuya (about being included in craziness, even if it's insulting). If all that wasn't bad enough, my mom ended the barbeque by having some random blind date meet her _at my house (!!!)_ before their date. Oddly, my boyfriend's occupation changed during the brief, yet horribly awkward, introductions before they left in seperate cars. Why did my house even have to be involved??? Well, I guess it's good to know that this weekened conformed to a typical gathering for my family. It's a tough tie with the time my mom essentially told my boyfriend he was going to hell for not believing in Jesus right before announcing that Buddhism might be a good fit for her.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: I do not and never have owned or claimed to have owned Bleach.

**CHAPTER TWENTY - posted 6 December 2009**

Ichigo came to a stop right outside the door to Rukia's room, reassuring himself that she would talk to him this time. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat as he opened and closed the hand that still hung by his thigh. All week Ichigo had only eerily followed her around like a scowling shadow. Seeing her sullenly going through the motions and seeing her fake smiles pained his chest. At least she seemed to be able to maintain all of her class marks on autopilot -- one less thing to contribute to her current state. Sighing, he felt useless.

It hurt even more that she was obviously trying her best not to let him help her, not to let him worry. This wasn't her problem alone. She wasn't the only one suffering. From now on her problems were his problems too, whether she liked it or not. Stupid Rukia thought that he wouldn't worry just by seeing how worried she was. Additionally, Ichigo couldn't fathom how she could think that the way she was acting could fool him into thinking that she wasn't screaming inside her own head.

It was too much for him to let her continue being so gloomy and trying to shut him out when he could be helping, _should_ be helping. He was an idiot to have taken Uryu's advice to "give her space." Of course, Ichigo hadn't been willing to tell Uryu why Rukia was acting weird and ignoring him in the first place when Ichigo had physically cornered him and demanded the advice from him. In retrospect, waiting until everyone left and, then, confronting Uryu in the bath may not have been the best idea, but Ichigo had been a bit desperate at the time.

After a firm exhale of breath to solidify his resolve, Ichigo raised his hand to the door, fully committed to knocking and forcing her to actually talk to him. Just as his knuckles were about to hit wood, the door swung sharply open to reveal a short, livid girl with dark hair. It startled him enough that he froze for a moment, but that was all she needed.

"And just what do _you_ think you are doing skulking around outside our door?" Momo demanded with a hard glare. "I could hear you pacing."

Momentarily taken aback, Ichigo felt she had just accused him of some kind of detestable trespass. He'd take that hot-headed friend of Rukia's who sported hair to match his temper any day over this. At least he could use his fists to solve a problem with Renji.

"What?! I'm here to talk to Rukia. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm her _boyfriend_," replied Ichigo testily, "and I want to see her. This is none of _your_ business, so..."

"It _is _my business when you want to barge in here and wake up Rukia. She's barely slept all week, and I have no doubt it's somehow _your_ fault," Momo quipped hotly. "Come back later if you want to traumatize her some more."

Ichigo scowled. He never expected this added difficulty. According to Toshiro, Momo could be a force to be reckoned with when she set her mind to something.

"How do you just assume it's my fault?! You just admitted that you don't have any idea what's going on!" Ichigo started in a huff, before his voice dropped to a pleading whisper. "Maybe it's my _and _Rukia's fault, huh? Now, let me in! I will wait quietly until she wakes up to talk to her. She doesn't need to do this to herself. She _needs_ to talk to me."

Momo only rolled her eyes and quickly shut the door in his face. Twitching, Ichigo growled. Every muscle in his body wanted to break down the door and show Momo who could and could not talk to Rukia -- not by any violence or harm to Momo, of course. For a moment, he could only stand in place, concentrating on keeping his actions in check. He spun on his heel and ran right into Renji. Perfect.

"I can't deal with _you_ right now," growled Ichigo, as he swung his right arm up to connect with Renji's jaw, followed by a sharp kick to his stomach with all of Ichigo's frustration behind it.

Ichigo rolled his shoulders and resumed walking, surprised that Renji had actually helped him feel a bit better for the moment. Ichigo felt like a jerk. He shouldn't have done that to Renji, no matter the stress he was feeling.

Ichigo's kick caught Renji by surprise and propelled him into one of the doors lining Rukia's hallway. The door crashed inward. Renji careened into the room trying to regain his balance but landing on his back.

"Erm, sorry, Renji. I, uh...," Ichigo sheepishly called over his shoulder, shrugging when he found that Renji was no longer in the hall.

"What the hell, man?" Renji exclaimed from the unfamiliar room in which he found himself, while irritatedly rubbing his jaw and sitting up.

He was about to get up and tackle Ichigo for a little well-deserved payback when another fist crashed into his face, followed by another harsh kick to his stomach.

"No one peeps on Arisawa Tatsuki and gets away with it! Once I get this shirt on, you're dead, you_ pervert_!" screamed a furious girl who clutched a shirt she had probably been intending to change into in front of her towel-wrapped body. "I bet you were lurking in the hallway since I left, just waiting to bust the door in before I could completely close it and catch me unaware! Pervert!"

"No! I swear that I wasn't trying to see you naked!" Renji pleaded, not even entirely sure what was happening to him.

"Oh my goodness! You were trying to catch my roommate, Orihime, after her shower! I bet you thought I wouldn't be here to get in your way! That's even worse! Pervert! Pervert! Pervert! You are dead!" Tatsuki screamed, landing yet another well-placed kick to his stomach.

The look in her eyes only gave her threat the unsettling feeling of sincerity. Renji genuinely feared for his well-being and scrambled to stand. Unfortunately, he ended up running into the door frame and falling over, giving Tatsuki plenty of time to pull on her shirt and a pair of bell-bottom style sweat pants before laying into him.

*****

Momo leaned her forehead against the door and let her hand drop from the knob with a sigh. She could tell that whatever was wrong with Rukia had something to do with Ichigo, but she really didn't have a clue whose fault it really was, if anyone's. Momo kept her head leaning against the door as she turned around to lean her back against the door. Earlier, Rukia had talked a bit with Momo, but Momo still had absolutely no clue what had happened at Ichigo's house that could have sent Rukia back like this.

With a jump, Momo opened her eyes and jerked her gaze back to the door when she heard a loud crash down the hall. She tried but couldn't understand what Tatsuki was yelling. Gasping, Momo whirled around. She had been concentrating so intently on Tatsuki's voice that Rukia startled her with a sound that was somewhere between a cry of pain and a sob. She was awake.

"Rukia, what's wrong?" questioned Momo's seemingly distant voice, helping wrench her from the lingering fog of her tortuous sleep. "Did you have a dream about your sister again? I heard you mumbling her name a while ago. _Please _talk to me."

At first, Rukia looked up with wide eyes and began to open her mouth to speak; however, when Momo mentioned her sister, she suddenly became engrossed in the Chappy pattern on her bed sheets. Rukia tried to look nonchalant. Her fingers traced over Chappy in frolicking on her sheets in different poses.

"My mom mentioned it when I told her that you were my roommate. She thought your name sounded familiar for more than just your last name. I looked up the news story. Luckily it was online, so I didn't have to deal with that stupid microfiche film," Momo said softly, hoping that her awkward nervousness wasn't making her ramble too badly. "Ah, well, what I'm trying to say is that, Rukia, I've at least heard about what happened to your sister."

Momo climbed onto Rukia's bed and wrapped her into a hug. Rukia gasped, as her body involuntarily released its tension. It felt like an icy wash pouring over her head, streaming down to envelop her body, and warming with each bit of tension it absorbed. It felt like jumping into a swimming pool and lingering for a moment underwater before surfacing.

"But you don't know. How can you know," Rukia choked out weakly, horrified and grateful for Momo at the same time. "Everyone acted like they knew exactly how I feel, and the look in their eyes always said I was doing something wrong. I wasn't acting or feeling the way I was supposed to when she died. I'd rather people didn't say anything and didn't give me those looks. It's easier just not to talk about it.

"But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't talk about it or that you don't need to talk about it."

"Don't worry; you don't have to do anything on my account. I'm fine."

Rukia didn't want to say anything and show Momo what a burden she could be as a friend, but her feelings didn't seem to want to let her pull them back inside the dark abyss of her core where they belonged. She didn't like being vulnerable.

"Rukia, listen to me. Ignore everyone else... Well, except for me and what I'm saying right now. Anyway, someone not reacting the 'right way' doesn't even make sense. You're obviously not fine. I can tell that you feel guilty, but you shouldn't. _You _didn't make her sick. It's not _your _fault that she died. No one would blame you. It's not _anyone_'s fault. Horrible things can happen without anyone deserving any of it -- your sister or you."

"No! No! No! She was..., but she might have had a chance if it had happened with her already in the hospital! That is where she should have been that morning. I should have been able to tell that Hisana was in more pain than usual and made her go. She only had me there to attempt CPR in the middle of the street, and I knew she was dead. I didn't want her to be, but some part of me knew it the moment I fell down beside her. I should have been hysterical, but I wasn't."

It was everything the voice in her head said to her when she tried to clear her mind. The same voice that taunted her, saying Hisana would not be proud of who Rukia had become. The same voice that paraded all of her faults and mistakes from her entire life in front of her eyes when she tried to fall asleep. The same voice that told her hoping for more from herself would be prideful and selfish. Now, the voice whispered that Momo would run away, now that she knows what a crazy, maladjusted mess Rukia is.

"Rukia. Rukia. Rukia," Momo whispered, desperately searching for something to say, as she didn't really know what Rukia was going through. "Ichigo came to see you, while you were sleeping. I chased him away to let you finally get some sleep, but he's going to come back. Would it help if you talked to him? Is whatever is making you stressed enough to have these dreams because of something he did?"

"Uh, not exactly. Momo, I need you to come with me to buy a pregnancy test tomorrow," Rukia breathed.

"Oh my goodness! Is _that_ what you have been turning into a masochistic, depressed mess worrying about? You've had to take exams for the past five days with _that _on your mind?! Does Ichigo even know?" Momo squeaked with saucer eyes.

Rukia took a deep, shaky breath. Her body wanted to cry, but she summoned her will to refuse. All of her problems were leaking out uncontrollably. She looked down at her hands and wasn't sure if they were shaking or not.

"I mean... I'm sorry; I was just surprised. I didn't expect... Rukia, no matter what happens, you'll be able to get through it. You're my over-achieving roommate, and something like this won't stop you. You figure stuff out. Besides, I'm here for you, and I _know _that Ichigo is here for you. Wait. Is this the first test you're taking or is this just to make sure?"

"It was too soon to take it before," mumbled Rukia. "I had to wait until now. I'm handling it. My grades were high enough that all I really had to do was pass the exams to keep my university acceptance and class rank. I've been trying to just ignore... er... deal with it and not let anyone think anything could be wrong."

"Trying and failing," snorted Momo. "Kuchiki Rukia! You have been worrying about this test all by yourself, haven't you? Don't do this to yourself. You could have told me! Wait. Did you even tell Ichigo that you might be pregnant?"

"I've told Ichigo, but I didn't want to worry him any more than telling him already has. It's happening to me, not him. I don't want to be a burden, an obligation. I mean, everything is going great. Then, I have to go and maybe get pregnant. He'll hate me."

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say!" Momo exclaimed. "Look at yourself walking around like a zombie (looking a little like one too, actually) and not sleeping. He would have to be ten times as dense as he already is to not have noticed! He obviously loves you. I am going to go with you right now to find him and make you let him help you! He had to be just as worried about this as you, and being worried about it together might make both of you feel at least a bit better."

If she talked to Ichigo, she wouldn't be able to ignore it.

"But Momo..." Rukia weakly started, trying to figure out something better than that she just didn't want to deal with it for a reason.

Rukia would have to start thinking about how she would handle university, her family's reaction, and giving the baby a good life after _finally_ getting the opportunity to decide what to do with her own life. It wasn't fair that Rukia didn't want to be pregnant when Hisana and the unborn baby she had dearly wanted bled out after Hisana collapsed in the middle of the street. Hisana had skipped a doctor's appointment to bring Rukia her lunch at school. Rukia had left home without it that morning and wouldn't take it from Hisana when she had brought it. Rukia felt horrible for even not wanting to be pregnant.

"Rukia, I'm not giving you a choice. I'll call someone to help me drag you to his room if I have to," Momo calmly threatened. "I know you're just beating yourself up inside and making this worse than it has to be. I know that I sometimes do it too, but I won't let you keep doing it now. You have to listen to someone besides yourself."

Without waiting for a response, Momo hopped off of Rukia's bed with an encouraging grin and started to throw clothes at Rukia's bed. Rukia ended up with a grey, felted wool mini skirt; black, herringbone pattern tights; burgundy knee-socks; a grey scarf; a short-sleeve, black, cable knit sweater; and a tissue weight, long-sleeve, burgundy t-shirt to go under the sweater.

"Put them on, or else I'll help you with that too," Momo threatened, causing Rukia to quickly start to change. "We'll stop by Ichigo's room on the way there."

The weather was unnaturally cold, overcast, and rainy, as if it was trying to match her mood. At least Momo hadn't thrown Rukia's rain boots at her too. A welt would have given her something else to think about for a little while, though.

_**********_

"Hello," Ichigo answered his phone.

Having waited an excruciating thirty minutes to leave his room to head to Rukia's room to see if she was awake, his phone rang. Ichigo let his hand drop from the door knob, as he heard the voice on the other end.

"Ichigo, my only son!"

This was not what he needed right now. He wanted to yell at his father to leave him alone and hang up on him, so he could get on his way to where he was itching to be. Unfortunately, Ichigo hated doing that sort of thing to his dad without reason when he already did it so often with reason.

"Dad?"

"Are you in your room right now?"

"What? Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Oh, no reason. I talked to your grandfather this morning; he called bright and early. Now I have no doubt that you really have _finally_ become a man, thanks to my lovely third daughter, Rukia."

"What!?"

"Don't be so taciturn, my boy. Don't listen to that stuffed shirt of a brother that Rukia has and name my first grandchild Masaki."

"That's not really..." Ichigo began.

"You can't deny that it's a great name, a perfect name."

"That's not what I...," Ichigo tried, before getting cut off once again.

"Now. Now. Don't worry, my boy. You can just make sure you keep in mind that there is a time to use protection and there is a time to make sure I have lots and lots more grandchildren. I'm elated that we both agree that now is the time for grandchildren. Anyway, the next one can be named Hisana. Remember that you can always count on your devoted, loving father to make sure that you have everything you need right away."

It was almost as if his dad was mocking his current predicament. Ichigo almost would have felt better if he was being scolded for his lack of judgment and planning. As it was, he would have to make sure Isshin didn't try to slip Rukia or himself any fertility drugs. The more inconceivable a scenario actually happening sounded, the more likely it was to be something his dad would consider putting to action.

"What!? You don't know what I need! Why did you call me, old man?" asked Ichigo, getting more than a little annoyed and not being able to hold back.

"I know _exactly_ what it is you need. I'll be there as soon as I can. Daddy won't let you down! Oh, Masaki, our scowling son has finally asked me to bring it to him! We thought his ugly scowling face would chase all the good girls away and that this day would never come," Isshin said gleefully. " I was so sure that the virile Kurosaki genes had passed you over and that an arranged marriage would be your only option. Rukia is an angel!"

Ichigo heard his voice getting distant towards the end and knew he was at the poster or some variation thereof. There were a lot of options: the poster, the bath towels, the coffee mugs, the sofa pillows with Masaki's picture in needlepoint, the chopsticks... Ichigo stopped taking a mental inventory of their house and devoted his mind to frantically running through what Isshin could possibly think he could need. Groaning, he realized that his father could only be talking about the ring, since he'd mentioned a call from his grandfather.

After scowling at his phone for a moment, Ichigo turned and flung it with all his might at the wall. Sighing, he bent to pick up the pieces, only to find that he could still hear his father's delighted voice projecting from the phone that had somehow shifted to its speakerphone setting at maximum volume. He couldn't believe his grandfather had knowingly done this to him – how evil.

"Ichigo? Ichigooo? My boy, are you still there? Did you hear me say that I would take care of things right away?"

"No, I was going to pick it up from grandfather _myself_," Ichigo yelled at the scattered mess that used to be his phone. "I don't need your help with this _at all_!"

"That just won't do. I already picked it up from him. It will have to be brought to you by your loving and devoted father who only wants to share his son's joy. You shouldn't need to concern yourself with matters like this when you should be focusing Not to worry my boy, I will bring it and a sample of the invitations (that I've already mailed) over personally!"

"Nooooo! Can't you just stay at home and send Yuzu or Karin or both of them instead?" Ichigo desperately screamed into his phone.

Isshin had already ended the call. Ichigo slumped down on the sofa and groaned, willing his heart to slow. His dad definitely did love him, but it would be nice if he'd listen and have a little tact once in a while. Isshin was determined to love his son in spite of his son. He slapped his left hand over his face and groaned again.

"That sounded like it went well, especially at the end. I am not interested in any way, but was that about what I think it was about?" Toshiro asked, looking up from a book.

Toshiro was reclining on his bed with a textbook, the perfect picture of disinterest. Ichigo let his hand drop from his face and slowly turned his head toward his roommate. Momo must be bribing him with an amazing reward for him to be not minding his own business and asking for any kind of detail at all. Ichigo's mind wandered to what kind of reward he would want from Rukia for a jiffy before he remembered the problem at hand.

"Probably," Ichigo replied, blandly.

"Then, shouldn't you look happy or at least happi_er_?"

"I would be if he wasn't bringing it here _himself_. He'd even already gotten it from my grandfather. I offered to go and pick it up from my grandfather in the first place, so that my dad wouldn't have a chance to do something crazy. How does he always manage to do this?"

"Hmm. I can see how this probably won't go very well for you, but that's too bad," said Toshiro in a voice more characteristic of himself -- monotone and disinterested --,turning back to his book even before finishing the sentence. "It's not my business, so I'll be staying out of it. Momo gets into enough of your business for the two of us."

"What? 'That's too bad' is all you have to say?" Ichigo replied, eye twitching. "I don't want your help but could you at least pretend to have some kind of sympathy."

Toshiro put down his book, rolled his eyes, and sighed. Their glares met in an unspoken battle of wills.

"Look. We both know that talking about things is something for which you should go to Uryu. Momo has enough sensibility for both of us, and you know that I never emote just to make you feel better. Right now you are glaring at me for not offering the help that you don't want in the first place. If you want to act like a girl, dress up with Chad when he goes out next weekend. I'm sure he could introduce you to some guys who are just your type."

A mere moment later, a loud pounding came from outside the door to his room. Knowing who was likely on the other side, Ichigo threw his head back and groaned, yet again. He got up and walked towards the door with an audible sigh. Isshin had clearly called from the parking lot just to make sure that he would be in his room a moment later – typical. At least this time he didn't call from the hallway. Actually, at least he called this time.

"Ichigoooooo! Open the door for your loving family. We are here to see you and bring you a _special_ treat," Isshin's voice sounded from the hallway.

Ichigo stopped and groaned again. His dad never made anything easy. He started to worry that his dad would want to stick around until he saw the proposal in person and made Rukia promise to bear an infinite number of grandchildren. Ichigo shuddered. No way that was happening.

"Just open the door and get it over with," Toshiro grumbled from behind his book.

Ichigo stiffly stood, walked to the door, and roughly swung the door open with one of his deepest scowls.

"Thanks for bringing it, but I have to get back to... What the hell is that, old man?" Ichigo exclaimed, aghast.

Isshin stood in the hallway holding a magnificently decorated purple and white iced cake with outstretched arms. He had a large grin on his face. Yuzu was beaming from beside him, and Karin stood behind them both with arms crossed. If his sisters hadn't come along, Ichigo might seriously consider slamming the door and climbing out his window.

Karin obviously didn't approve of what was going on. Ichigo had a definite feeling he wouldn't either. In fact, his dad being here in the first place already garnered disapproval. He couldn't decide if he wanted to know what the cake was all about. It would be great if the cake was for Toshiro.

"It's a cake, Ichi-Ni," said Yuzu with a smile.

"Oh, my plan was obviously too clever even for my own son! _It _is in the cake," Isshin added with a wink, as Ichigo looked from Yuzu to his father with a clear lack of comprehension.

Ichigo's frown impossibly deepened, until he started to resemble Beaker from The Muppet Show. Toshiro was still reading on his bed. He raised the book higher to cover his face, as his body started to shake with silent laughter. He was no longer able to focus on his book at all. Toshiro was thankful that his own family didn't even enjoy conversing among themselves, preventing something like this from ever happening to himself.

"What am I going to do with _that_? Why the hell did you bake it into a cake?"

"Don't be asinine; your loving father doesn't bake. I had _Yuzu_ bake it into the cake, so we could get it to you safely without anyone finding out, of course," Isshin explained, as if it should have been Ichigo's obvious conclusion. "My darling, Yuzu, hasn't let me into the kitchen since that time I tried to make a salad that one time."

"I'm at school, not in prison! You could have just put it in a brown paper bag."

"You can never be too careful with something like this. What if my third daughter saw us give it to you and ruined the surprise by wanting to see what was in the bag? Daddy could never live with himself if he let that happen to his only son that finally found a girl to love his scowling face!"

"Fine. Why is the cake so huge, then?"

"What if she saw us giving you the cake and wanted a piece? It needs to be plenty big enough to provide cake for her and whomever else might be around without exposing the secret goods," Isshin whispered, as if everyone in the room didn't already know what was happening.

"And what if she gets served the piece that the ring is in?"

"Daddy has thought of that too! Just make sure not to serve our dear Rukia... hmm... I can't seem to remember whether the piece with the large flower is the one that is definitely safe to serve or the one that cannot be served to Rukia," Isshin said, looking sheepish.

"I told you to put it in a bag, you old goat. If you hadn't baked it into a cake there would be no cake for anyone to accidentally eat," Karin said, rolling her eyes, "and this wouldn't be a problem. I don't know why we even need to be here, as much as I like to see Ichigo and all."

"Oh, Karin, don't be silly. Shopping bags don't taste good at all," said Isshin, waggling a finger in her direction, as if she was the nonsensical one.

Karin and Ichigo briefly locked eyes in understanding.

"Dad and I did some brainstorming yesterday on how you should give it to her. We're very worried that you don't know how to be romantic," said Yuzu excitedly with a touch of concern.

Yuzu was not his dad, although sometimes just as bad.

"That's right! Let Daddy help you out with romance, especially romance that will lead to lots of grandchildren... er, lots _more_ grandchildren! Don't be afraid to call for advice or just a manly chat," Isshin said with suggestively wiggling eyebrows. "Your mom and I were quite adventurous, so I've got some good tips."

Ichigo couldn't say anything to Yuzu or in front of Yuzu about not wanting the cake, and he was afraid of finding out exactly what a "manly chat" would entail. Remembering the "educational" sex talk with which his dad had ambushed him during his first year of high school, he tried not to shudder.

Ichigo had initially escaped the talk, but the timing coincided with Isshin discovering text messaging and email. Days passed before the barrage of messages with detailed descriptions and occasional illustrations of various positions and tips stopped coming. His dad must have cleared out an entire section of the library and exhausted the Internet just to have enough material to send. After the first couple days, he had started letting Keigo open all of the text messages and emails from Isshin.

"Geez. Leave Ichigo alone. I mean, I'm impressed he even got a girlfriend in the first place too, but we should let him handle this on his own in case we do something to shock Rukia out of whatever delusion she's under before he can trick her into marrying him."

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled, starting to twitch.

Despite the protest, Ichigo conceded that what Karin said wasn't nice, but at least it kind of helped. That is, it helped until she continued.

"She must be the kind of girl that doesn't really like romance or any of the other stuff I can't see Ichigo being good at. Let's face it. He's already done something for her to let him get close enough to her to get her pregnant, right?" Karin continued, the tone of her voice expressing her disapproval of his plight.

Ichigo knew that early he would have traded congratulations for a scolding from his father, but it was sickening to have to hear the disapproval from one of his sisters. He was a horrible role model and had let Karin down. He had let Rukia down. As much as it hurt not to have the usual support he got when Karin took his side, he knew he didn't deserve it.

"Hey! I didn't have to _do_ anything, because Rukia and I...," Ichigo began with a defensive growl, not sure what he could or would say next.

He was saved the trouble, as his protest was cut short when a wave of dread crashed over him. Ichigo had caught sight of the tell-tale spark of an idea forming in his father's eyes.

"Karin, your wit has already surpassed your poor old father's," Isshin shouted, grabbing Ichigo's shoulders and shifting his focus to his son. "Getting her pregnant was an excellent ploy, my boy!"

"What!?! You think I _planned _to get her pregnant!?!" Ichigo yelled in shock.

"Exactly! Now she will _have_ to do the right thing and marry you!" said Isshin, practically dancing with glee. "I'm sure it would have happened sooner or later, since the two of you are so genuinely in love, but there is nothing wrong with choosing sooner over later, especially when I get a grandchild (or seven) sooner!"

"No way! I mean that that's not why I wanted the ring at all," Ichigo groaned.

"That whole idea is wrong on so many levels. You're as bad as the Old Goat, if you really _were_ planning on doing something like that to Rukia. She doesn't deserve that. You're despicable," Karin scolded.

She was obviously angry that her brother would dare do something to chip away at the respect she has for him. As far as he knew, it was the first time it had happened. Ichigo always tried to be a good big brother.

Shame gnawed at his gut. Despite his father's joy, he felt like he was letting down those he cared about left and right, starting with Rukia. His mind knew it wasn't true, but making Rukia worry was unforgivable. Ichigo sighed and went back to scowling at the cake in his hands. He was trying to choose what to say next that wouldn't make things worse, when they heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Yuzu quipped, voice like a bell, impervious to her bickering family.

"Hi, Yuzu, Karin; I didn't know you were coming to visit Ichigo."

The blood drained from Ichigo's face. This was turning into a never ending nightmare. Even worse than holding the cake in the first place was holding the cake _and _looking at Rukia standing in the doorway with Momo waving from behind her. Ichigo's eye twitched as he heard Toshiro briefly bust into hardy guffaws from behind his book.

"Uh, hi, Rukia," Ichigo mumbled, scowl still in full force. "Momo."

Ichigo thought she looked a little rough around the edges, although he wasn't surprised, given their current situation. He would be surprised if she had gotten any sleep, since he'd stopped by her room earlier. Tiredness clearly dulled the usual intensity of her gaze, causing a momentary pang in his gut. At least she had _finally _come to see him, cake notwithstanding. Now, if everyone else, especially his father, would just _leave_...

"Why do you have a cake? Oh, it's lavender. That's the color of Chappy's ribbon, my favorite color!" Rukia exclaimed before waiting for Ichigo to answer.

"Really?!" Yuzu squealed with glee. "That's what I was think of when I chose the color. I didn't know that you love Chappy too!"

Ichigo's eyes widened in horror at her words, barely able to keep his composure at his father's next utterance.

"That cake is for you, Rukia, my lovely third daughter," Isshin interjected.

"Oh, Mr. Kurosaki, I apologize for not seeing you already," Rukia said with a smile. "The cake was a bit distracting."

"Rukia! Never call me Mr. Kurosaki again! We're practically family already. Haven't I told you to call me Daddy?" Isshin said in his characteristically over dramatic manner. "Now, why don't we all have some cake?"

Everyone save Ichigo, Karin, and Toshiro nodded. Ichigo and Karin both scowled, still sceptical of the entire cake scheme. Toshiro had, again, uncharacteristically started laughing so hard from the moment Isshin offered everyone pieces of cake that he had to excuse himself and leave the room to escape Momo's glare. Ichigo glared at Toshiro, as he left, swearing Toshiro's laughter sounded a little too much like stereotypical evil laughter.

Rukia ended up with the piece of cake Isshin had deliberated over earlier, the one with the big butter cream icing flower. Ichigo looked at his own piece in disgust as everyone else lifted forks for their first bites. He would never understand how his father continually roped Yuzu into his crazy schemes. She was probably just too nice and sweet to say no or think badly of him.

"Hey, I think there's something hard in my piece of cake," Rukia said, surprised. "I thought that you were allergic to nuts, Yuzu, but did you..."

She was cut off when Ichigo literally lunged across the room. He threw his plate of cake into his father's face, grabbed Rukia's plate, and sprinted out the door in a panic, leaving everyone aghast. Toshiro wasn't the only one acting out of character. Total silence enveloped the room. Rukia didn't know what to think. This would have been unusual for anyone, never mind for Ichigo.

"Don't worry, Rukia! I'm sure that my son has another reason than thinking you are growing too pudgy to eat sweets to have run off with your dessert!" Isshin said, patting Rukia on the back in a misguided attempt to console, while wiping icing from his eyes. "Indulging yourself a little too often and gaining a little weight when you're having my grandchild is perfectly natural. I would know; I'm a doctor."

"What?" Rukia squeaked in response, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious.

Rukia started to wonder why anyone would even think that she would have come to that conclusion, stopping her hand from involuntarily wandering down to feel her belly. Momo, in the midst of taking a bite of her piece of cake, slowly pulled her fork from her mouth. Balancing her plate on her knees, she placed her freed hand comfortingly on Rukia's back.

"You look just as tiny as you always have. Besides, you might not even be pregnant, remember?" Momo whispered.

The corner of Rukia's mouth twitched. Momo had no idea that she had the sheer will power to keep herself together amidst a group of people like this. Dozens of horrid Kuchiki family functions while being such a blatantly unwanted addition had taught her some particularly useful dissociative techniques for times like these. If she felt her breath coming too fast, Rukia knew to politely excuse herself to the toilet to pull herself together.

"That's right," Yuzu added firmly. "Ichi-Ni cannot possibly believe Rukia is fat."

"I'm sure he's hoping she'll get huge as we speak, Yuzu. It would be great if Rukia had twins like you and Karin!" Isshin added.

Karin raised a hand to rub her temple and sighed.

"Ichigo obviously has enough problems without you trying to help out, Dad" Karin said, with another sigh. "Rukia, you don't look any different than the other times I've seen you. Anyway, we should all just be amazed he's found someone to put up with him enough for him to need to run off with a piece of cake and leave it at that."

Momo and Rukia were confused. It seemed like Ichigo's family understood why he'd run off with her cake, but at that same time they both knew it had nothing to do with Rukia's weight.

"You're right, Karin! Instead we should talk about more delightful things, like when Rukia and my son will give me my first grandchild!" Isshin exclaimed. "Now, I have a birth certificate that has the name all filled out for you to approve, pending the delivery date, of course. Also, this is a sample of the invitations that Yuzu and I picked out. Don't worry; we've already taken care of all the details, like mailing them to everyone we know."

Rukia paled. This crazy man really did only think about one thing. She felt Momo's arm slide from her back to her side, giving her a sort of hug. Rukia swallowed hard, before even daring to wonder for what Ichigo's father had sent out invitations

*****

Uryu calmly adjusted the light above his chair to better see the detail of the garment he was stitching. Suddenly his door swung inward, slamming flush against the wall behind it with a dramatic bang. A panicked Ichigo stood on the threshold with one splayed palm still on the door and a piece of lavender-frosted cake in the other.

"I can't say I'm one for sweets, but I appreciate that you were obviously having cake and didn't want to leave me out," Uryu said mockingly, adjusting his glasses.

Ichigo stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. Leaning back against the closed door, he was still breathing heavy and being unusually protective of the piece of cake.

"This cake isn't for _you_! This is Rukia's piece, and you have to hide it. She can't find the ring."

"Is there a reason that should have made any sense, Ichigo?" Uryu asked.

Uryu was annoyed but not surprised.

"Ring? You mean the ring from your grandfather? Are you giving it to Rukia already?" Chad asked, turning around in the chair at his desk to look at Ichigo.

Ichigo simply turned to look at Chad and nodded.

"...and what does that cake have to do with Rukia's engagement ring?" inquired Uryu.

"It's inside this piece of cake, Rukia's piece of cake," groaned Ichigo.

"Did you think this was a clever way to propose and change your mind?" Uryu snickered.

Ichigo gave Uryu his best scowl, even though Uryu had become immune to its effects long ago.

"No. My dad took it upon himself to bring it here for me. Then, he had the brilliant idea for Yuzu to bake it into a cake, so that Rukia wouldn't accidentally find it. That idea was bad enough, except that he offered her the cake almost the moment he saw her and served her _this_ piece. It was the first piece he served, and it's the only piece with the ring! I didn't even know until she said there was something in her cake."

Ichigo slid down the door and cradled his face in the hand not holding the plate. Chad came over to take the plate from Ichigo and set it on his desk.

"That could only happen with your family," Uryu said, shaking his head. "I assume you handled the situation by grabbing her plate and running straight here?"

Ichigo nodded. Rubbing his temple in exasperation with his free hand, Uryu took a moment to compose himself before replying. It wouldn't help if he started laughing at Ichigo already.

"Why do you need _so much_ help!? I volunteered you for the fight; I subtly planted the idea of those two betting their friend; now, I have to deal with this cake debacle; and I will probably have to help you propose without killing yourself when the time comes. I honestly thought the hardest part would be making her fall in love with you in the first place, given how you _still _can't stop fighting. It's like you're an elementary kid with a crush."

"Why am I taking advice from you, again?" Ichigo said, glaring at Uryu.

"Because I am in a blissful relationship with the lovely Inoue Orihime. You come seeking advice from one who has already achieved the bliss you seek."

"It's not as if you look for the same things as a normal guy, though," retorted Ichigo.

"Exactly. My standards are much higher. She is perfection. I'm very lucky to have a girl like Orihime fall in love with me. I've already designed her an exquisite outfit with a cape that matches my own. I appreciate everything from her 35-26-34 measurements to her compassion for others to her unique thought process to her... uh, culinary creativity."

With just a mention of Orihime's cooking, Uryu was unable to keep himself from turning green around the edges, as he involuntarily remembered tasting her last concoction. It would be quite some time before he would even be able to smell anything remotely cherry flavored again.

"Psh, that's the nicest way I've ever heard anyone be called a bad cook," Ichigo snorted, purposely missing the point of what Uryu said. "If you don't just say something, she's going to poison you one day."

He was having trouble getting the image of Uryu and Orihime standing beside one another in ridiculous matching capes out of his head. Perhaps they could fight some crime on their way back from the Opera, or wherever people wear capes nowadays.

"My muse will never poison me, especially after she takes the cooking classes I plan to get her for a graduation present. It will give me a little more free time to work on my other present for her. I can't wait to make fashionable, flattering clothes for her that don't require her to choose between wearing a turtle neck and showcasing her assets."

"What are you even talking about?"

"It's obvious that she has to suffer from her breasts wearing a clothing size bigger than the rest of her body. I'm going to use my impeccable taste and expertise to design a line of clothing for my Orihime that make her look good without having her breasts spilling out uncontrollably, of course."

"Yeah, expertise at being a pervert," Ichigo muttered under his breath.

Although Ichigo lowered his voice, his words were still loud enough for Uryu and Chad to both hear him clearly. All of the stress of late was forcing Ichigo to involuntarily start picking fights with whomever he could incite. Regardless, Uryu's eye twitch with annoyance.

"Appreciating my girlfriend for something other than her mind is not being a pervert. I think that you're just jealous that...," Uryu began to perpetuate the argument.

Uryu knew exactly why Ichigo was being difficult but still couldn't just let it go.

"Like I would care what you think! Well, maybe I don't need any more advice. I'm going to do this myself!" Ichigo shouted with resolve.

Ichigo swiftly rose and took the steps to Chad's desk. He picked up the plate of lavender cake and used its fork to carefully dig for the ring. The antique style setting in the uncommonly exquisite, yet visually modest, ring sparkled, even through the frosting.

"Hey! Don't think that you can leave before we're finished just being you're losing the argument," Uryu shouted.

Ichigo whirled to lock glares with Uryu. Neither was ever truly mad at the other during these arguments. They seemed to argue more for the sake of having a temporary winner and loser named each time than anything else. This scale of fight has even been known to erupt over something as seemingly trivial as who gets that final rice ball.

"Ichigo, I think that you might be getting a bit ahead of yourself by asking her to marry you right now. I don't know what you're situation with her is, but I'm sure that getting a ring isn't something that Rukia is expecting of you," Chad said before either of his friends could make things worse. "Ichigo, I think you should listen to him. He's still better with women than you are. Sometimes you really miss the obvious, and you're just grasping at whatever you can do, whether it will really help the situation or not."

Ichigo sighed. His plan had been to clean it off and formulate an amazing plan to ask Rukia to marry him... eventually. He knew it wasn't the way to fix things. Chad wouldn't have said anything unless he meant it and felt it needed to be said. Now he had to swallow his pride and let his friends help, even Uryu. It could be worse; he could be asking advice from Urahara.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away, Uryu. What do you think I should do?" Ichigo asked, voice calm.

"Well, I think that you should start by talking to Rukia. The two of you should just sit down and talk about your options. I'm sure that Momo could help you out, since Rukia seems to be avoiding you lately," Uryu offered with a sigh. "You'll work it out. It's not like you have to deal with having accidentally killed her brother, having gotten her pregnant, or something like that."

Ichigo averted his gaze and fidgeted.

"Actually, it is something a bit like that," he admitted.

Their calm discussion turned into a series of yelled questions and accusations. Chad could only sigh.

"You killed her brother! How do you accidentally kill someone that you would have to go out of your way to even see?"

"What? Why would you think I killed someone!? She's pregnant, four eyes!"

"Pregnant! What is wrong with you!? How can you learn to run one of the country's largest private companies and not figure out how to use birth control, especially when even I know far more than I ever wanted to know about sex from only _occasionally_ being around your father!?! How am I ever going to get my father to accept our business proposal, so that I can start my own fashion line, if my partner does something irresponsible like this!?"

"What the hell?! This is about me right now! It's not like _you _are going to be the parent! Besides, we don't even know if she really is pregnant! It's just a likely possibility right now!"

"It had better only be a possibility. you idiot! I hope you have a plan!"

"Of course I don't have a plan! That's why I'm here for advice!"

In the background, Chad groaned and rubbed his forehead. There was no way anyone could ever say that he was getting the easy way out by not having to deal with girls. If these weren't his friend _and _Ichigo wasn't blocking the door, he would make a break for it.

*****

*A/N: I wish that I had a good excuse for not updating, but I don't really think that I do. It all comes down to me having a personal crisis and just not being able to bring myself to even really think about my story. Pathetic, I know. I apologize if my writing has back-slid during my "hiatus." I promise that I won't take more than a week at most before I post chapter twenty-one. I'm haven't decided if it will be almost 9,000 words like this one or more in the ball park of my usual 3-4,000 word chapters. Also, I'll get on replying to any comments later today.

On a more plot-related note: This chapter has a lot of Rukia working out her inner problems, and I feel the need to say something, as it doesn't exactly make her look very strong. I know that, in the anime/manga, Orihime is the whiny, inner problem mess character, but I think that Rukia really does have a lot that she pretty much ignores, so I don't think it's entirely out of line and crazy for me to go this way. Let's face it, she felt she deserved to be executed (however wrong that self-blame was) and almost just gave in and let herself be killed battling pseudo-Kaien. She has some major self-hatred and self-blame (yes, she _can_ be strong and weak at the same time) that we just don't see her working though... she wouldn't want anyone to. Finally, I just have to say that this story is clearly AU.)


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

**Chapter Twenty-One - posted 17 December 2009  
**

"Mr. Kurosaki, " Momo stood and began with pursed lips, her hand protectively on Rukia's shoulder.

"Hold that thought," he said, smiling and wagging a finger at Momo, as if she had spoken out of turn. Turning to Yuzu and Karin, he continued, "Girls, I think that we really need some ice cream and milk to go with this cake. Would you mind doing your dear dad a favor and running to the store for some of both? You can take your time, since we have to wait for Ichigo to return with Rukia's cake. Besides, it will give everyone a chance to let their cake settle and make room for lots of ice cream."

Momo suppressed the urge to interrupt him and force him to hear her out. Sending Ichigo's sisters away would only make what she was about to do easier for everyone. For a moment she wondered if it was a lucky coincidence or if this goofy asshat was more aware then he was letting on.

"Of course!" Yuzu chimed with her usual smile and followed with a rhetorical question. "How could we ever have forgotten milk and ice cream in the first place?!"

Karin only glared at her father. This had all gone way too far, and she didn't want to be here. At first this had been like every other over the top scheme her dad concocted, but he was a little too obsessed this time for her taste. On the way to Ichigo's room she had tried not to give in to her anger and kick him in the face. That would have only sent the cake he was carrying flying, creating an even bigger scene in the end. Now, she just felt tired, drained, and a little confused.

Her brother looked bedraggled, even though he covered it fairly well. Yuzu probably hadn't noticed, since her father had gotten her excited about the prospect of a niece or nephew. Karin sighed, slightly jealous of Yuzu's inexplicable optimism in every situation. The combination of Ichigo's scraggly aura, the timing of his request from their grandfather, and her father's undue fanfare over something both Ichigo and Rukia denied left an unsettling lump in her stomach. Even if her stupid father was wrong, as was often the case, something else was still wrong.

"_Karin_, come _on_!" her sister called expectantly, standing half inside and half outside of Ichigo's doorway.

Finally, Karin rolled her eyes and shrugged. All she could do was bide her time until they headed back home and her dad forgot all about this, if he could. This wasn't a situation she ever would have imagined her brother in. It wasn't something she thought that he would do. She looked up to Ichigo. Unfortunately, that didn't mean that it could never happen and that she should ignore the feeling in her gut. Karin resigned herself to being cynical enough for both Yuzu and herself, hoping she would find out her concern was all for naught.

"Whatever," she mumbled, following Yuzu out the door.

Rukia frowned. Something was obviously bothering Ichigo's sister. Something about the look in her eyes made Rukia itch with guilt. She searched for something to say but couldn't find the words, even after Karin closed the door behind her.

"Ah, I believe that you were about to say something to me before," Isshin prompted Momo, turning to face her, jovial tone exchanged for a calm, slightly inquisitive one with just a touch of the tone of a concerned parent. "I've met you before and had a feeling this should be a discussion between the three of us at this point."

"Yes, I was, and you are probably right about that," Momo swiftly replied, voice even and a bit indignant. "You owe Rukia a big apology. Just because you adore your own children and delight at the thought of having grandchildren, doesn't meant that everyone else feels the same way and that Ichigo and Rukia are subject to fulfill your whim. Rukia has more to think about and expect than when she can settle down with Ichigo and have his children."

Rukia's eyes widened with surprised, as her roommate continued. She was almost afraid of what and how much Momo would say.

"Graduation is a stressful enough time for Rukia without having to suffer everyone else's opinions of what she should and should not be doing. She has a lot of important decisions to be making. Who knows what happened before we got here that would have made Ichigo run out of the room like that; however, you should have picked another time and place to surprise Rukia with a cake, no matter how delicious it is," Momo finished, raising an eyebrow as if challenging him to argue.

Rukia released the mental breath she had been holding. Momo was right in that graduation could be a very stressful time. Unfortunately, it wasn't graduation itself casing Rukia's stress. The corner of her mouth threatened with an upward tug at how skilled Momo was at evading the truth without actually lying. It made her forget that the topic of discussion was herself. If only for a moment, the fleeting disassociation helped her overall control.

"Hmm, well said, my dear," Isshin complimented, transforming even more into a typical father figure in both tone and demeanor.

"It's good to see that you're _finally _getting serious about this," Momo replied, eyes narrowing.

Both Momo and Rukia were surprised that Ichigo's father had caved so easily. Rukia braced herself for whatever illogical catch was sure to come.

"I've always been serious. Rukia," Isshin turned from Momo to Rukia and took her hands in his own before continuing, "I don't know what you and my son are actually worried about, but let's pretend that the two of you did make an irresponsible decision recently. I am a father and a doctor; make no mistake that I _do _know what I'm talking about."

"But...," Rukia began to protest, not wanting this to turn into some kind of roundabout confession.

She didn't even want to have a hypothetical conversation about her actual worry.

"Please, hear me out. You don't need to say anything," he said with warm, fatherly smile. "Whatever problem the two of you have, I'm certain that hearing me out right now, making that assumption will help put things into prospective for the two of you. First of all, my son is extremely lucky to have a girl like you. I know that I've said it before, but of all the girls he could have fallen in love you, you are all for which I could have hoped."

Rukia only blinked wide eyes at Ichigo's father, touched by his words, yet at the same time, not believing they were coming from him. Momo sat down next to her and slid her hand across to Rukia's other shoulder, encircling her in a half-hug.

"You and my son have a bright future ahead of you in every way. You both have the ability and the means, no matter what... difficulties befall you. Now, let's say that you and Ichigo are expecting," Isshin put a hand up to quell any interruption. "I won't pretend that it wouldn't be a bit of a scandal, especially given your age, or a tough situation; however, neither of you would be doing it alone and without support.

"Even now, you have a friend that won't leave your side, even for an innocent chat with your future father-in-law. I can guarantee that you wouldn't be able to get rid of my son, even if you wanted. I've met your brother and don't think that he would abandon you either. In fact, I'm sure that both of them would physically fight for you, if it came to that. My point is that you will have help and support for whatever comes next.

"Of course, I don't even think I have to say that I will be expecting grandchildren from you and my son... at some point. When that time comes, even if it's now, I will personally ensure that nothing is denied you. That is, if you even need my help. You probably know that my son is poised to shoulder a significant responsibility. I can't say that he's exactly pleased about it, but I do know that he won't hesitate to use every ounce of power at his disposal for your sake. You and my son are very alike in several ways. Neither of you seem to be able to grasp that you don't have to do everything alone."

The bit of relief she felt sparked the prickling threat of tears to sting her nose. Taking a breath and swallowing, Rukia nipped her body's urge to let go of her control in the bud. She kept her composure. It had already been broken against her will in front of Momo, and it would not happen again. It was nice to have her worried assuaged from such an unexpected source. Isshin's words reiterated what Momo had insisted earlier. Rukia just needed to hear it all from Ichigo.

"I guess I should thank you for saying that," she tentatively replied. "Finals and graduation aren't exactly meant to be relaxing, and I've had a lot to think about. You know how it is, right? Every little thing somehow seems like a huge problem... not that there even is one. I guess what you had to say really did put things into perspective and help me realize how silly my supposed problem is to dealing with something like a... baby."

Rukia almost faltered at the end, unable to say the word aloud, but was able to finish with a smile, confident that her words would be taken as another denial that she even had a possible pregnancy to worry about. Now, she just needed to get out of the still awkward situation. Luckily, she really was starting to mentally disassociate from the situation. It felt more and more like she was a character of which her real self was only a spectator. Rukia felt stronger, less crippled by her emotions.

"I know that Karin and Yuzu are getting milk and ice cream, but Momo and I have a couple very important errands that we have to run. Thank you for everything. Please tell Yuzu how much I liked the bite of cake Ichigo let me have," Rukia said with a smile.

Leaving no room for protest or hesitation, Rukia stood and started for the door. Isshin sighed, as Momo turned to give him a satisfied smile before closing the door behind them. With the click of the lock, he slumped down in his chair, wiping a hand down his face to tug on his chin. This was one of the times he missed Masaki the most. Isshin's eyes shot back to the door.

Ichigo took a deep breath, clenching his fist around the ring that he had just finished cleaning in the bathroom for resolve, before swinging open the door to his room with imagined bravado.

"Rukia, can you come with me, so that we can...," Ichigo started in an assertive voice, before realizing that his father was the only one in the room. "Where did everyone go? I wasn't even gone for ten minutes, and you've already chased everyone away?"

He had been prepared to thank Momo for protecting Rukia in his absence before whisking Rukia away to the library, away from any interruptions, so that they could _finally _talk. Unfortunately, all he found was his father sitting ominously in a chair facing the door with a semi-serious expression.

Earlier this year, Isshin had mistakenly read a little too much into Toshiro coming over solely to play soccer with his sister, only to be sent running for the hills the moment Momo got word of it. He wasn't sure how it happened, since he was with his grandfather at the time. The only explanation he had was that Momo had lulled his father into a false sense of security with her soft, pleasant demeanor before brandishing her claws with her eyes set on a killing blow.

Ichigo might have tried to judge Toshiro for liking such a crazy girl or just brand him a bit masochistic. Well, he would have, if he hadn't realized that he was the one who spent almost three years inviting Rukia to abuse him just for the sake of contact with her. At first he couldn't imagine why his sense of self-preservation didn't keep his mouth shut. Then, he came to realize that perpetually bruised shins was a small price to pay for making her notice him in some way, even if not the way he would have liked. Even the his most physically painful memories were remembered fondly.

"Come in and sit down, my boy. I know that something is wrong for both you and Rukia. It may not be a baby, but I know that there is something heavy," Isshin said with a sigh. "I went a bit overboard trying to lighten mood, since I am delighted to have Rukia practically in our family, and..."

Ichigo froze in the doorway, hand still on the knob. Without changing his blank expression or hearing his father out, he successively stepped back, pulling the door closed in front of him. Ichigo immediately spun on his heels and broke into a sprint down the hallway. The only thing worse than his loony father bouncing off the walls was the unexpected shock of his overly serious father, especially when it was something he didn't want to talk about.

*****

"I think I'm still in shock from all of that, Momo," Rukia confessed with a sordid smile.

She tightened her grip on the metal bar of the train to keep her balance, whilst the train navigated a curve. They could have easily walked to three different pharmacies from the school campus; however, they chose the higher probability of anonymity that a greater distance would provide.

"I am too, and Ichigo's dad wasn't even talking to me. At least he said some of what I've been trying to tell you, though," Momo replied with a shrug. "I bet Ichigo would say something like that if you'd gotten the chance to talk to him."

"I know," sighed Rukia. "But I still can't help feeling that I somehow let him down, that I've trapped him. It's like I'm burdening him with another one of my problems."

"That's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard," Momo started with a frown and roll of her eyes. "Ah! There's a pharmacy, and we're about to come to a station! Get ready."

"I'm ready."

"Good. We're going to continue talking about this as soon as we get off the train, you know. I mean, you cannot seriously believe what you just said," Momo reminded, as the train jerked to a stop.

Really, she wasn't sure she was ready for any of what was happening. Rukia had almost wished that the train ride would last forever, keep her in limbo. It was like sitting in a waiting room. She had no control over the next step and could just relax and wait, doing nothing. It was a kind of break from her problems, more than the waiting itself. While on the train, she didn't really have to think about anything besides which stop they would choose. Unfortunately, reality closed in on her with each step. The pharmacy door chime felt like a curtain raising to reveal an expectant audience, giving her no choice but to perform for their critical eyes.

"I've never bought one before. They would be somewhere around the tampons and condoms, right?" Momo questioned, not really expecting an answer.

Rukia took a purposeful step forward with her head high. No one in the store would recognize either of them this far from school. it was practically the other side of the city. They had even made sure to bring cash, so there wouldn't even be a record of their purchase. As far as anyone but the clerk ringing up the purchase and Momo would know, she was heading for an aisle in dire need of tampons. Rukia felt like a criminal, about to buy drugs or steal something.

"I found them, but I kind of thought I would just be able to grab it and go," Rukia whispered, aghast and annoyed by the numerous boxes for her to choose from.

"Well, why don't you just grab one, then?"

"I can't do that! There are different kinds, and I have to make sure that I have the right one!"

"I'm sure that they all do the same thing, though, right? Just pick the prettiest box. I like the green one."

"No way! Here, read what these boxes say and choose the best one," Rukia furiously whispered, thrusting the aforementioned green box and the one next to it on the shelf into Momo's hand. "We'll keep doing that until we only have one left."

Rukia ignored Momo's amused snort and furiously read the two boxes in her hand, mentally making a list of the criteria she would be using to compare them. Part of her started to relax. She was in the store buying the test. There was no turning back now that she was already in the aisle with it in her hands. Just having a concrete task on which to focus helped too.

"KUCHIKI RUKIA, IS THAT YOU!?!" a voice bellowed from the next aisle.

Momo jumped, almost throwing the tests in her hand into the air. Rukia could swear she actually felt her heart stop, as she froze, unable to turn around or even breathe.

"Rangiku, what are you doing here?" Momo squeaked from beside her.

Coherent thoughts refused to form in Rukia's head, as she desperately tried to think of a way to explain what she was doing, besides the truth, of course.

"Buying tampons and some lip gloss, of course," Rangiku replied, as if running into her two school mates at a pharmacy located a thirty minute train ride from school hadn't crossed her mind as unusual.

"But why are you buying them _here_ when we go to school on practically the other side of town?" Momo pressed.

"Oh, I just like to get on the train without really knowing where I'm going sometimes. I love just feeling the train sway, while I watch the scenery pass. It's kind of soothing. Anyway, today I needed to stock up on tampons and figured I would be able to find a pharmacy wherever. You know, I didn't really think anything of it until now, but why are the two of you here? It is on the other side of town and all."

Yes, Rangiku was indeed stocking up on tampons. She had five boxes in her arms.

"I needed... no... well, uh," Rukia stammered, still desperately trying to come up with an excuse for the pregnancy tests in their hands.

"Ah, well... we... erm...," Momo felt herself at a loss for words, as well.

For a moment, Rukia considered that Rangiku might not notice. Just as Rukia decided to tell her that they came to buy toothpaste and got a bit distracted, Rangiku decided to explain it herself... aloud.

"I thought you were also here to buy some tampons or something, but... oh, no. Rukia, don't you think that you should be buying condoms rather than just skipping right to the pregnancy test? Are you in the wrong aisle? No, not with that many in your hands and those dark circles under your eyes. Ah, well, I guess things like this happen. Well, in that case, you should pick the orange and pink box."

"Toothpaste!" Rukia blurted in response to Rangiku's correct assessment of the situation. "Wait, did you say that I should go with the pink and orange box?"

"Yeah, it's definitely the best choice. The brand has the best overall ratings, it's quick, and it's unmistakably easy to use," Rangiku replied in a matter of fact tone.

"Rangiku, how...," Momo softly began.

"I'm sure that Toshiro told you that I was a bit of a delinquent in junior high before you got to know me," she paused while Momo nodded a confirmation. "However, I don't think that even he ever found out how much of a delinquent I had actually became. Let's just say that I had a bit of trouble with myself. I didn't know who I was and didn't realize what a sparkling goddess I am. Hmm... this was all before I started rooming with Tatsuki and Orihime too. I don't think Ichigo has ever said anything, so I guess I wouldn't expect anyone to know, unless I've told them. He's not exactly a talker, you know. Well anyway, let's just say that I ran with a bad crowd and did a lot of things that I regret with people I may not have even remembered right after it happened."

"Ichigo knows?" Rukia squeaked.

"Hey, don't let your imagination run wild there. He just got into a few fights with some guys that I was hanging around with at the time," her mouth twitched into a half smile. "Apparently, they didn't like his hair and thought he was a threat to their territory. It never ended well for my so-called friends, but they never stopped picking the fights. When I started seeing him with Toshiro too, we kind of each got the attention of the other. Actually, he didn't recognize me until I said something."

Rangiku sighed, prepared to leave the explanation at that, until she caught sight of the horror on both Rukia's and Momo's faces. The wrong conclusions were blatantly plastered across their faces.

"No! No! It's not like that at all! I would never throw myself at Ichigo! Well, I might have back then... but I didn't! Seeing him as both of the selves I had at the time kind of helped me drag myself out of it. The delinquent version of myself suddenly seemed a lot more real. Except for Toshiro having some unconfirmed suspicions that I was a bit of a delinquent in my spare time, no one had any idea, well, except Ichigo. I guess that both of us were going out of our way to get something we needed at the time. We never even directly talked about it, as if we knew what the other was thinking. We never were and still aren't more than mere peripheral friends that happen to be keeping each other's secrets."

"I was just starting to think that you really were a tease, all talk. Oh, my goodness, Rangiku, I didn't..."

Before Momo could continue, Rangiku held up a hand with a smile and a shrug.

"Don't worry about it. You don't have to say anything. I have a part of my past that I don't like and implore you not to mention, but I'm not that girl any more. She was a different me that may as well never have existed. No one but Ichigo would be able to connect my two selves, and I don't think that he's saying anything, even to himself. Leave my confession here in this moment. Now, back to Rukia's dilemma."

"I guess I'll go with ten of the pink and orange box, then," Rukia said with a sincere smile and awkward forced laugh.

Hearing what Rangiku didn't have to tell them made her feel a lot better. Rukia felt a bit less like damaged goods, even if only Rangiku would think so. Momo stood by her too, not judging. She wasn't sure if everything suddenly seemed easier to handle because she was finally able to take some sort of action or because she wasn't doing it alone.

"Did you say ten?" Momo asked with wide eyes.

Rangiku stifled a sympathetic giggle.

Rukia averted her gaze, explaining, "Well, I was hoping that I could down a bottle of water and take five now. Then, I'd like to take five when we get back, just to make sure. Is that too much?"

"No way!" Rangiku responded. "I'd probably be here for another ten if one even came out a little bit uncertain, if it was me!"

"Oooh, that's a great idea. Momo, can you grab another ten. My hands are a bit full."

Rukia smiled. She was as relieved to end up with Rangiku to help as she was horrified when she first heard her call her name out for anyone in the pharmacy to hear.

"All right. I've got another ten here. Let's buy all of these and see if the clerk will take pity on you and let you use the toilet here," Momo chirped, relieved to see Rukia with a genuine smile.

"The clerk is a guy. I think I've got it covered. In a moment he's going to feel so awkward that he'll say 'yes' just to not have to deal with us," Rangiku replied with an evil smile.

*****

A/N: I'm not entirely happy with how this chapter turned out, but I think that it would take me forever to figure out what I don't like about it. I'm sure it won't be anyone's favourite. Hope it didn't turn out too badly. *crosses fingers*


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